In addition to ocular pathologies, other neurological abnormalities are associated with vitiligo in Alezzandrini and VKH syndromes. The former associates unilateral retinal degeneration, and ipsilateral vitiligo, poliosis, and, possibly, hearing abnormalities.
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 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.
Several studies showed that vitiligo has been associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases, pernicious anemia, Addison's disease.
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, ...
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.
Vitiligo causes isolation, stigmatization, loss of self-esteem, depression, and self-consciousness.
For every 100,000 person-years, 503 people with vitiligo developed dementia compared to just 102 healthy controls.
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 (signs of Addison's disease) being thirsty and needing to urinate often (signs of diabetes)
Vitiligo can be triggered by stress to the melanin pigment-producing cells of the skin, the melanocytes.
Nevertheless, vitiligo has been found to be associated with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and autoimmune hepatitis [17].
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 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.
The one significant observation that we found to have the poor prognostic implication in vitiligo is the presence of mucosal vitiligo.
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.
Patients with vitiligo may be more likely to develop dementia than patients without vitiligo, according to findings from a retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of Dermatology. Vitiligo and dementia may be linked as they both involve autoimmune-related inflammation, it was posited.
It affects the skin's colour by developing white patches on the body and hair and, in rare cases, discolouration in the eyes occurs. This is why people living with vitiligo are at a high risk of developing eye problems, which could permanently damage vision if left untreated.
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.
The 2020 study above found that 1.6% of people with vitiligo had rheumatoid arthritis. The condition was more than twice as common in people with vitiligo compared with the general population.
Pityriasis versicolor can sometimes be confused with vitiligo, as they both cause the skin to become discoloured in patches. But there are ways to tell the difference: vitiligo often develops symmetrically (on both sides of your body at the same time), while pityriasis versicolor may not.
Vitiligo and Vitamins
To treat vitiligo, doctors generally prescribe vitamins, such as vitamins C, E, B12, D, and folic acid, in combination with other treatment regimens.
Mixed type vitiligo is a rare type of vitiligo. People with this type develop both segmental vitiligo and color loss beyond the area with segmental vitiligo.
New cohort analysis data suggest the risk of COVID-19 death is about 38% decreased among patients with the autoimmune disease.