Vitiligo

Summary

Vitiligo causes white patches on your skin. It can also affect your eyes, mouth, and nose. It occurs when the cells that give your skin its color are destroyed. No one knows what destroys them. It is more common in people with autoimmune diseases, and it might run in families. It usually starts before age 40.

The white patches are more common where your skin is exposed to the sun. In some cases, the patches spread. Vitiligo can cause your hair to gray early. If you have dark skin, you may lose color inside your mouth.

Using sunscreen will help protect your skin, and cosmetics can cover up the patches. Treatments for vitiligo include medicines, light therapy, and surgery. Not every treatment is right for everyone. Many have side effects. Some take a long time. Some do not always work.

From MedlinePlus.

A skin disease that occurs when autoantibodies attack melanocytes (the skin cells that produce melanin or the chemical that produces skin color).

From the Global Autoimmune Institute.

Symptoms

Loss of hair and skin pigmentation on the face, hands, arms, feet, groin, and genitals, early whitening/graying of your hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, or beard, and lost pigmentation of the mucous membranes (specifically in the mouth and nose-lining tissues).

From the Global Autoimmune Institute.

Diagnostic Criteria

Under Investigation

Diagnostic Tests

Under Investigation

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Associations

Under Investigation

Tissue-Type or Cell-Type Attacked

Under Investigation

Attacking Immune Cell Type or Process

Under Investigation

Treatment Modality

Under Investigation

Managing Specialist(s)

Under Investigation

Associated Infections

Under Investigation

Associated Toxins

Under Investigation

Research Authors

Under Investigation

Research Institutions

Under Investigation

Average Time from Symptom Onset to Diagnosis

Under Investigation

Last Updated

October 14, 2022

References

Vitiligo. Global Autoimmune Institute. (2022). Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.autoimmuneinstitute.org/vitiligo/

Vitiligo. MedlinePlus. (2016, August 31). Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://medlineplus.gov/vitiligo.html