Akademik

A white patch of oral or female genital mucous membrane that cannot be wiped off and cannot be diagnosed clinically as any specific disease entity; in current usage, a clinical term without histologic connotation. SYN: smoker's patches. [leuko- + G. plax, plate]

- hairy l. a white lesion appearing on the tongue, occasionally on the buccal mucosa, of patients with AIDS; a manifestation of Epstein-Barr virus infection in an immunocompromised host; the lesion appears raised, with a corrugated, shaggy, or “hairy” surface due to keratin projections.Oral hairy l. was first recognized in 1981 as a marker of immunosuppression in male homosexuals with AIDS. The incidence in persons with AIDS is about 20%. Oral hairy l. consists of white vertical folds or ridges, generally along the lateral borders of the tongue, but sometimes on its lower surface or on the buccal mucosa. Unlike the lesions of candidiasis (thrush), the patches cannot be scraped off. The condition is ordinarily asymptomatic, causing neither pain nor alteration of taste. Histologic study shows parakeratosis and koilocytosis with little inflammation. The lesion occasionally progresses to squamous cell carcinoma. Treatment with topical podophyllin or systemic acyclovir usually induces prompt regression of lesions.

- l. vulvae a clinical term for hyperkeratotic white patches of the vulvar epithelium; biopsy is necessary for specific diagnosis.

leu·ko·pla·kia or chiefly Brit leu·co·pla·kia .lü-kō-'plā-kē-ə n a condition commonly considered precancerous in which thickened white patches of epithelium occur on the mucous membranes esp. of the mouth, vulva, and renal pelvis also a lesion or lesioned area of leukoplakia

leu·ko·pla·kic or chiefly Brit leu·co·pla·kic -'plā-kik adj

a thickened white patch on a mucous membrane, such as the mouth lining or vulva, that cannot be rubbed off. It is not a specific disease and is present in about 1% of the elderly. Occasionally leukoplakia can become malignant.