Vitiligo (vit-ih-LIE-go) is a disease that causes loss of skin color in patches. The discolored areas usually get bigger with time. The condition can affect the skin on any part of the body. It can also affect hair and the inside of the mouth.
If you see white patches and spots on your skin, it's important to find out if you have vitiligo. This disease increases the risk of having some other autoimmune diseases like thyroid disease and alopecia areata. Some people develop hearing loss or a problem with their vision.
About 15 to 25 percent of people with vitiligo are also affected by at least one other autoimmune disorder, particularly autoimmune thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis , pernicious anemia, Addison disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, celiac disease, Crohn disease, or ulcerative colitis.
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease of the skin, which means that someone with vitiligo has an immune system that is malfunctioning in a small way. The normal role of the immune system is to protect you from infections and cancer.
Vitiligo most often affects the face, elbows and knees, back of the hands and feet, and genitals. It affects both sides of the body equally. Vitiligo is more noticeable in darker-skinned people because of the contrast of white patches against dark skin. No other skin changes occur.
As non-segmental vitiligo is closely associated with other autoimmune conditions, you may be assessed to see whether you have any symptoms that could suggest an autoimmune condition, such as: being tired and lacking energy, which may be a sign of Addison's disease.
Vitiligo is epidemiologically associated with increased risk of autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, pernicious anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Addison's disease8,15.
Vitiligo is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color.
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)
Vitiligo does not pose a serious threat to one's health, but it can result in physical complications, such as eye issues, hearing problems, and sunburn. People with vitiligo also tend to be more likely to have another autoimmune disease (like thyroid disorders and some types of anemia).
Protect your skin from the sun.
A bad sunburn can worsen vitiligo. If you have a lighter skin tone, there's another advantage to protecting your skin from the sun. Without a tan, the lighter spots and patches are often less noticeable.
In this study, vitiligo did not appear to be associated with a high body mass index, in contrast to most other autoimmune diseases.
Vitiligo affects approximately 0.5% to 1% of the population. Its prevalence is similar in both genders and in all races. It can appear at any age, but it often starts before the age of 20. The disease does not affect life expectancy.
Some people lose color in areas called mucous membranes, which includes the inside of the mouth or nose and the genitals. Vitiligo can also affect the hair, causing white or prematurely gray hair. Some people lose some of their eye color and see light spots on the colored part of an eye.
A 2016 study found that 20% of participants with vitiligo had an autoimmune disease. The most common of these was thyroid disease, at 12.9%. The reverse is also true – in a 2009 study, vitiligo was significantly more common in people with a thyroid disease than a control group.
In conclusion, patients with vitiligo may develop liver diseases of autoimmune origin, such as PSC.
Vitiligo is associated with several comorbid autoimmune, systemic, and dermatological diseases, primarily thyroid disease, alopecia areata, diabetes mellitus, pernicious anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Addison's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Sjögren's syndrome, dermatomyositis, ...
The most noticeable symptom is a rapid loss of vision. There may also be neurological signs such as severe headache, vertigo, nausea, and drowsiness. Loss of hearing, and loss of hair (alopecia) and skin color may occur along, with whitening (loss of pigmentation) of the hair and eyelashes (poliosis).
Hypothyroidism is particularly common in people with vitiligo. Rheumatoid arthritis, alopecia areata, IBD, SLE, and some other autoimmune conditions may also be more common in those with vitiligo. More research is necessary to understand why people with vitiligo have an increased risk of other autoimmune conditions.
Research suggests that most people who develop vitiligo do so during childhood. As you age, Dr. Mohta says untreated vitiligo often progresses to involve the surrounding skin or create new patches of discoloration.
The one significant observation that we found to have the poor prognostic implication in vitiligo is the presence of mucosal vitiligo.
Many people who have vitiligo are often otherwise healthy. Even so, it's important to find a doctor like a dermatologist who knows about vitiligo. People who have vitiligo have a higher risk of getting some other medical conditions. You can also get painful sunburns on the skin that has lost color.
No, vitiligo is not a form of lupus. Both are autoimmune conditions that can affect your skin. If you have one, you are more likely to get the other. But they are two different diseases with two different treatments.
For every 100,000 person-years, 503 people with vitiligo developed dementia compared to just 102 healthy controls.
Vitiligo causes isolation, stigmatization, loss of self-esteem, depression, and self-consciousness.