Vitiligo

Clinic

• Vitiligo is a disorder that causes the skin to lose its color.
• Specific causes are unknown but studies suggest a link to immune system changes.
• Vitiligo results from the destruction of epidermal melanocytes by autoreactive cytotoxic T cells.

Signs / Symptoms

• The only sign of vitiligo is the presence of pale patchy areas of Depigmented skin which tend to occur on the extremities.
• Sometimes itching before a new patch occurs.
• Patches are initially small, but often grow and change shape.
• They are most prominent on the face, hands, wrists, around body orifices, such as the mouth, eyes, nostrils, genitalia and umbilicus.
• Some lesions have increased skin pigment around the edges.
• They may experience depression and similar mood disorders.

Related disease

• Hashimoto's thyroiditis
• Scleroderma
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Type 1 diabetes mellitus
• Psoriasis
• Addison's disease
• Pernicious anemia
• Alopecia areata
• SLE
• Celiac disease
• Addison's disease
• Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome

Note

• It seems that vitiligo is a part of Autoimmune disease named APS