Vitiligo: A review of the published work

Abstract

Vitiligo is a common depigmenting skin disorder, characterized by acquired, idiopathic, progressive, circumscribed hypomelanosis of the skin and hair, with total absence of melanocytes microscopically. It occurs worldwide, with an incidence rate of between 0.1% and 2%. Vitiligo is an important skin disease having a major impact on the quality of life of the patient suffering from it. The causes of this condition are uncertain but seem to be dependent on the interaction of genetic, immunological and neurological factors. Vitiligo coexists with other autoimmune disorders, Sutton or halo nevus, and malignant melanoma. The substantial disfigurement associated with vitiligo can cause serious emotional stress for the patient, which necessitates treatment. Because its pathogenesis is still not understood, there is a plethora of different treatments. Among them, topical steroids and narrowband ultraviolet B monotherapy were the most common as current treatments for localized and generalized vitiligo, respectively. Cosmetic improvement can be achieved by camouflage products and self-tanning dyes. The course of vitiligo is unpredictable, but often progressive. Spontaneous repigmentation may occur in a few people (10–20%), mainly in children, but this tends to be only partial and on sun-exposed areas. In this article, we review vitiligo as a whole, including epidemiology, pathogenesis and etiology, histopathology, clinical manifestations, classification, clinical variants, diagnosis and differential diagnoses, specific investigation, treatment, prognosis, psychosocial view and its association with other disorders.

Role of Corticosteroids in Treatment of Vitiligo

“…Vitiligo is categorized as a depigmentation disorder, where the loss of active melanocytes causes the appearance of white patches on the skin ( Whitton et al,2008 ;Yaghoobi et al, 2011b). These patches are of various sizes and shapes.…”

“…It has been introduced based on its visual phenotype (Yaghoobi et al, 2011a,b; as cited in Birlea et al, 2008;. Studies have shown that approximately 20% of vitiligo patients have at least one first-degree relative with this disorder; so, it seems that the relative risk for first-degree relatives of vitiligo patients is increased by 7-to 10-fold (Wolff et al, 2007;Yaghoobi et al, 2011b). Only a few vitiligo susceptibility genes have been introduced with certainty.…”

No Evidence of HSV Presence in the Serum of Vitiligo Patients

“…The proposed pathogenesis of vitiligo relates to genetics, neurochemical factors, self-destruction of melanocytes and autoimmunity, etc. [1]. The fact that there are roughly patterned clinical distributions of vitiligenous lesions that conforms to different clinical types of vitiligo suggest different etiological or pathophysiological pathways involved in the disease.…”

Assessment of quality of life in Indian patients with vitiligo, an observational study

“…It occurs worldwide, with an incidence of 0.5% to 2.0%. 1 Vitiligo is disfiguring in all races but particularly more so in dark skinned people because of strong contrast. 2 Vitiligo may entail significant psychosocial consequences.…”

“…It occurs worldwide, with an incidence of 0.5% to 2.0%. 1 Vitiligo is disfiguring in all races but particularly more so in dark skinned people because of strong contrast.2 Vitiligo may entail significant psychosocial consequences. Vitiligo is a social stigma and is associated with a decreased quality of life, especially when lesions are located over the face; thus, it may affect the quality of social and personal life depending on the patient's perception.…”