Integumentary System - Vitiligo

Disease/Disorder: Vitiligo

Common Name: Vitiligo

Age of Onset: Half of the people diagnosed with vitiligo develop the disease before age 20. Almost all of the remaining half develop it before age 40.

Duration: Vitiligo is a lifetime disease though there are several treatment options available for improving the appearance of the infected areas.

Males/Females/Equal: Vitiligo affects both sexes and all races equally.

Cause: The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown though researchers have developed several theories. The first theory and most widely accepted view is that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes depigmentation because the body produces proteins called cytokines that alter the pigment-producing cells and cause these cells to die. The second theory is that melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, destroy themselves. It is also possible that vitiligo is hereditary for 30% of people with vitiligo have a family member that also shares the disease.

Symptoms: Vitiligo produces white patches (depigmentation) on the skin. The most common areas for depigmentation are sun-exposed areas of the body including the hands, feet, arms, face, and lips. Though it is possible that vitiligo can also appear around the armpits, groin, mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel, genitals, and rectal areas. Vitiligo may also bring about premature graying of the scalp hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, and beard.

Prognosis (progression of disease): There are three patterns that determine the progression of vitiligo. The focal pattern has depigmentation limited to only one or a few areas of the body. The segmental pattern has depigmentation develop on one side of the body. Focal and segmental pattern vitiligo remain localized to their one part of the body and do not spread. The generalized pattern is the most common pattern of vitiligo and does spread as it has depigmentation develop symmetrically on both sides of the body. The speed to which vitiligo spreads depends on the person. In some the progression of depigmentation can occur slowly over many years and in others the progression is fairly rapid.

Treatment Options: The objective in treating vitiligo is to improve the appearance of the developed white patches through medical, surgical, and/or adjunctive therapies. Therapy is a lengthy process that must be continued for 6 to 18 months. Furthermore the choice of therapy depends greatly on several individual factors including the number of white patches, their location, sizes, and how widespread they are. As surgical options, one can apply skin grafts, micropigmentation (tattooing), or autologous melanocyte transplants.

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/vitiligo/article.htm