NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with vitiligo commonly have other autoimmune diseases, according to a cross-sectional study.
“Vitiligo is a systemic disease with multiple comorbidities,” Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., told Reuters Health by email. “The number of patients with neurologic diseases and inflammatory disease was much higher than we anticipated.”
Vitiligo, with an estimated prevalence ranging from 0.5% to 1%, is characterized by selective loss of melanocytes and patchy depigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes. Autoimmunity is thought to play a role in its pathogenesis.
Based on a manual chart review involving nearly 1,100 patients with vitiligo, Dr. Hamzavi and colleagues found that 19.8% had at least one comorbid autoimmune disease, and 2.8% had more than one, they report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, online Oct. 27.
Robyn Wurlod says
January 18, 2016 at 10:25 pmI have vitiligo, and i also have Rheumatoloid arthritis, pernicious aneamia, and also autoimmune liver disease. (and endometriosis)
My mother had vitiligo, thyroid disease and died of Motor Neurone Disease.
I truly wish there were more research into Autoimmune.
Kyla Larson says
September 16, 2018 at 2:35 pmI have Vitiligo and anemia, as well have been treated for Rheumatoid Arthritis and super tired all the time. I’m constantly sick or just not feeling up to anything. I’m only 29 and feel like I’m falling apart. Praying that they find a cure! ♥️
Merle Wurth says
February 21, 2019 at 10:22 pmMy senior yr. of college I started having white patches and was identified as Vitiligo by a specialist. I have several other possible autoimmune problems as in HPP.
I tried several treatments but gave up and used bleaching with benoquin cream which finally worked over time but now I have to avoid much sun.