Approximately 30% of people with the condition will have a family history of vitiligo. Therefore, children will not get vitiligo strictly on the grounds that a parent has it. However, they do stand a higher chance of developing the condition.
Children of probands are found to be afflicted about 1.7 times more commonly than other first-degree relatives. The relative risk (RR) for vitiligo is about 7 for parents, about 12 for siblings, and about 36 for children. For second-degree relatives, the RR varies between 1 and 16.
Inheritance. Vitiligo sometimes runs in families, but the inheritance pattern is complex because multiple causative factors are involved. About one-fifth of people with this condition have at least one close relative who is also affected.
What is known is that the risk of developing vitiligo increases in kids with a family or personal history of thyroid disease, diabetes, and certain conditions like alopecia (an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss). Vitiligo is never contagious — kids can't "catch" it from someone else.
Vitiligo and Genetics
The condition is considered a “complex inheritance,” which means a genetic component is involved, however, it doesn't follow the same rules of something being hereditary.
Evidence suggests it may have a genetic component. Approximately 25 percent to 50 percent of those with vitiligo also have a relative with vitiligo, while 6 percent may have a sibling who has it as well. Some MyVitiligoTeam members have family members with the skin condition.
Anyone can get vitiligo, and it can develop at any age. However, for many people with vitiligo, the white patches begin to appear before age 20, and can start in early childhood.
Though research has yet not satisfactorily found out the exact cause of vitiligo in kids, it has been seen that certain environmental factors such as sunburn, stress, exposure to chemicals play an active role in causing the disorder.
Vitiligo can sometimes also affect the mucous membranes (such as the tissues inside the mouth, nose and eyes). The cause of vitiligo in children is unknown, though it is known to be an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues.
People can develop vitiligo at any age, but approximately one-half of cases are diagnosed either in childhood or before someone turns 20. The first signs of vitiligo are white patches on the skin, which can develop anywhere on the body, including on the face, arms, hands, genitals, and buttocks.
You're born with piebaldism. Vitiligo occurs when your body has melanocytes, but they're destroyed. You develop vitiligo during your lifetime. Vitiligo is a condition that causes cosmetic changes to your skin.
In children with focal and segmental vitiligo, there is often no family history of vitiligo or other autoimmune disorders. The frequency of vitiligo among first degree relatives in white, Indo - Pakistani, and Hispanic populations is 7.1%, 6.1%, and 4.8%, respectively.
Vitiligo signs include: Patchy loss of skin color, which usually first appears on the hands, face, and areas around body openings and the genitals. Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard.
Females tend to present with vitiligo at an earlier age, with a peak prevalence during the first decade of life, whereas male peak prevalence is in the fifth decade of life.
Others thought nerves might be involved because emotional stress can affect the severity of vitiligo, but this occurs in other autoimmune diseases as well, and there's no evidence that this is from nerves, but instead it's probably related to hormonal changes that occur during emotional stress.
Early signs of vitiligo are the loss of skin color in patches on the body. Initially, the skin may become pale before turning white. However, if blood vessels are just beneath the skin, the skin patch may look like pale pink instead of white.
Generally speaking, there's no way to prevent the onset of vitiligo. While there is no cure, the goal of treatment is to minimize the spread of the condition. However, certain lifestyle changes can help you reduce your condition from worsening.
Dermatology. Vitiligo commonly presents in childhood and can be extremely distressing to the affected children and sometimes even more so to their parents.
Inheriting certain genes may increase the risk of something triggering (causing it to happen) vitiligo. Known vitiligo triggers include: A severe sunburn. Injured skin (cut, scrape, burn)
Certain components of hair dye, bleaching agents, and skin-care products can set off a vitiligo flare. Marmon advises choosing products labeled hypoallergenic that are free of harsh chemicals, fragrances, and irritants.
Vitiligo is associated with other autoimmune diseases: Addison disease (disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones) Thyroid disease. Pernicious anemia (decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the intestines cannot properly absorb vitamin B12)