Hearing loss The inner ear contains melanocytes — the cells that give our skin and other parts of the body color. If the body attacks these cells in the ear, hearing loss can occur. It's estimated that between 12% and 38% of people with vitiligo have some hearing loss.
Vitiligo is a long-term condition where pale white patches develop on the skin. It's caused by the lack of melanin, which is the pigment in skin. Vitiligo can affect any area of skin, but it commonly happens on the face, neck and hands, and in skin creases.
Although vitiligo has long been considered a disorder confined to the skin, there is now good evidence that it also involves the extracutaneous compartment of the "melanocyte organ." It is also clear that vitiligo is not only a melanocyte disorder, but that it also involves cells, such as keratinocytes and Langerhans ...
When vitiligo impacts the eyes, it can cause changes to vision, eye color, and eye health. Experts recommend routine eye exams for people with vitiligo to help monitor any issues.
Cuts, burns, and even the friction that occurs when skin rubs against skin have been found to set off vitiligo flares. This is due to a reaction called the Koebner phenomenon, which also occurs in other skin conditions, such as psoriasis and lichen planus.
About 15 to 25 percent of people with vitiligo are also affected by at least one other autoimmune disorder, particularly autoimmune thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis , pernicious anemia, Addison disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis ...
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease of the skin, which means that someone with vitiligo has an immune system that is malfunctioning in a small way. The normal role of the immune system is to protect you from infections and cancer.
For every 100,000 person-years, 503 people with vitiligo developed dementia compared to just 102 healthy controls.
Complications of vitiligo are social stigmatization and mental stress, eye involvement like iritis, depigmented skin is more prone to sunburn, skin cancer, and hearing loss because of loss of cochlear melanocytes. Other complications are related to medications like skin atrophy after prolonged use of topical steroids.
As non-segmental vitiligo is closely associated with other autoimmune conditions, you may be assessed to see whether you have any symptoms that could suggest an autoimmune condition, such as: being tired and lacking energy (signs of Addison's disease) being thirsty and needing to urinate often (signs of diabetes)
Hypothyroidism is particularly common in people with vitiligo. Rheumatoid arthritis, alopecia areata, IBD, SLE, and some other autoimmune conditions may also be more common in those with vitiligo.
Neurological abnormalities include tinnitus, vertigo, headache, and meningoencephalitis. Vitiligo and poliosis, as well as alopecia areata, are all possible cutaneous disturbances. The initiating event may be a cutaneous insult, such as generalized erythema or a physical trauma to the skin.
About half the abnormal dermal nerves in vitiligo skin showed minor axonal damage, although indicators of regeneration (increased mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum) predominated.
Say Hello to Sunshine: Expose the affected areas to early morning sunlight i.e. just as soon as the sun rises as it consists of ultraviolet A-rays (320-400nm) which stimulate pigment-forming cells (melanin). However, ultraviolet rays are harmful when at their peak between 10 am to 4 pm.
There's also no way to know who will have patches that get larger or where new patches will appear. What you see when vitiligo begins is also affected by the type of vitiligo you have. The most common type, non-segmental vitiligo, tends to spread slowly with new patches developing off and on throughout a person's life.
The one significant observation that we found to have the poor prognostic implication in vitiligo is the presence of mucosal vitiligo.
It affects 0.5–2% of the population worldwide. Psychological comorbidities associated with vitiligo are feelings of stigmatization, adjustment disorders, sleep disturbance, relationship difficulties, including sexual dysfunction and avoidance or restriction behavior.
About 75 percent of people with vitiligo report having psychiatric issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress, according to a September 2021 study published in the journal Middle East Current Psychiatry.
If you see white patches and spots on your skin, it's important to find out if you have vitiligo. This disease increases the risk of having some other autoimmune diseases like thyroid disease and alopecia areata. Some people develop hearing loss or a problem with their vision.
Investigators also analyzed the association between vitiligo and the risk for developing Alzheimer dementia (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), and the influence of phototherapy, sex, middle-age, and old age on study outcomes. Results showed a 5-fold increased risk for dementia in adult patients with vitiligo.
Many people with vitiligo also have thyroid disease, and autoimmunity can play a role in both conditions. However, researchers are still trying to understand the relationship.
New cohort analysis data suggest the risk of COVID-19 death is about 38% decreased among patients with the autoimmune disease.
Environmental circumstances, such as stress, a bad sunburn, skin trauma, or exposure to a strong chemical, seem to prompt vitiligo development in people who are genetically predisposed to the condition. Triggers may also cause existing vitiligo patches to spread or progress in people who already have the condition.