What are the complications of vitiligo?

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.

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What other problems can vitiligo cause?

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.

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Do people with vitiligo have other health issues?

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 ...

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What happens if vitiligo is left untreated?

If vitiligo is not treated, it may spread extensively to involve various skin areas. Rarely, some patches may go away or decrease in size. Although vitiligo is neither dangerous nor causes symptoms, such as pain or itch, the sufferers may be upset and stressed because of the way their skin appears.

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What organ systems are affected by vitiligo?

Vitiligo is an under-recognized organ-specific autoimmune disease of the skin that results from cytotoxic T cell-mediated attack on melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the epidermis (18). The result is the loss of pigment in the skin, visible as white spots (Fig. 1) (19).

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What is Vitiligo? Causes, Effects, and Treatment.

42 related questions found

Do people with vitiligo have a weakened immune system?

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.

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Does vitiligo cause heart problems?

Vitiligo is a depigmenting autoimmune disease. Recent studies suggest a subset of vitiligo patients, those with more chronic and severe diseases, are at higher risk of developing dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis, with the potential increase of CVR.

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Can vitiligo get worse as you age?

Research suggests that most people who develop vitiligo do so during childhood. As you age, Dr. Mohta says untreated vitiligo often progresses to involve the surrounding skin or create new patches of discoloration. This is also known as generalized or nonsegmental vitiligo, which is the most common type.

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What triggers vitiligo to spread?

Potential triggers include sunburn, exposure to certain chemicals, and trauma or injury to the skin, according to the article in F1000 Research. These triggers can also prompt vitiligo to spread in people who already have the condition.

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Can vitiligo lead to other autoimmune diseases?

The takeaway. People with vitiligo have an increased risk of other autoimmune conditions, which occur when the immune system attacks healthy tissues in the body.

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Should I be worried if I have vitiligo?

Vitiligo affects people of all skin types, but it may be more noticeable in people with brown or Black skin. The condition is not life-threatening or contagious. It can be stressful or make you feel bad about yourself.

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Does vitiligo make you tired?

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)

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Does vitiligo affect life expectancy?

This chronic skin disease does not affect life expectancy, but it can have a significant psychological impact. Vitiligo is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that affects the skin and mucous membranes.

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How does vitiligo get worse?

Protect your skin from the sun.

A bad sunburn can worsen vitiligo. If you have a lighter skin tone, there's another advantage to protecting your skin from the sun. Without a tan, the lighter spots and patches are often less noticeable.

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What is the peak age of vitiligo?

Females tend to present with vitiligo at an earlier age, with a peak prevalence during the first decade of life, whereas male peak prevalence is in the fifth decade of life.

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Who is more prone to vitiligo?

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.

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What are the stages of vitiligo?

Focal: Skin patches remain in a small area of the body without spreading in the first two years. Trichome: Instead of a smooth white depigmented patch, skin patches contain a white mixed with lighter hypopigmented patches. Universal: Pigment loss is widespread across the body.

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Does vitiligo increase risk of COVID?

New cohort analysis data suggest the risk of COVID-19 death is about 38% decreased among patients with the autoimmune disease.

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Is vitiligo genetic or hereditary?

Yes, vitiligo can be considered hereditary. Even though vitiligo is not strictly associated with family genetics, it can run in families. Approximately 30% of people with the condition will have a family history of vitiligo. Therefore, children will not get vitiligo strictly on the grounds that a parent has it.

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Does vitiligo ever stop progressing?

After 6 to 12 months, segmental vitiligo tends to stabilize, meaning that the color loss stops. Once it stops, most people with segmental vitiligo don't develop new patches or spots.

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Can vitiligo affect your brain?

For every 100,000 person-years, 503 people with vitiligo developed dementia compared to just 102 healthy controls.

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Can vitiligo affect eyesight?

In vitiligo, mechanisms responsible for melanocyte destruction in the skin can affect melanocytes within iris and retina of the eyes as well. There is well-known association of vitiligo with ocular disturbances in diseases such as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome and Alezzandrini's syndrome.

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Can vitiligo cause liver damage?

In conclusion, patients with vitiligo may develop liver diseases of autoimmune origin, such as PSC.

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What are 3 interesting facts about vitiligo?

Vitiligo Facts
  • Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder and not merely a “cosmetic” problem.
  • Vitiligo affects the immune system which then affects the skin, resulting in white patches.
  • 70 million people across the world have vitiligo.
  • There are no boundaries of race, ethnicity or gender.

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