Antinuclear antibody (ANA) level and blood-profile in Oral lichen planus patients: A cross-sectional study

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous autoimmune disease characterized by diverse clinical manifestations in the oral cavity, with a pathogenesis that remains incompletely understood. Aim of this study was to evaluate antinuclear antibodies (ANA) as well as vitamin status in blood samples collected from OLP patients. Fifty OLP patients and 25 healthy controls were included in the study. This study explores the correlation between OLP, elevated ANA titers and elevated Vitamin B6 levels, hypothesizing that a shared autoimmune mechanism or metabolic dysregulation may link these findings. Forty-seven patients (94%) with OLP and 11 patients (44%) in the healthy control group had increased ANA-titers (≥1:100) (p < 0.001). Vitamin B6 was increased in 24 patients (48%) in the OLP group while it was normal in the control group (p < 0.001). While ANA testing is not intended to diagnose OLP, the high prevalence observed in this cohort may reflect systemic immune activation or dysregulation in OLP patients. Elevated vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) levels were identified in a subset of OLP cases; however, it remains uncertain whether this finding reflects a contributory role in disease pathogenesis or an epiphenomenon.