What organs does vitiligo affect?

Vitiligo most often affects the face, elbows and knees, back of the hands and feet, and genitals. It affects both sides of the body equally. Vitiligo is more noticeable in darker-skinned people because of the contrast of white patches against dark skin. No other skin changes occur.

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What body system does vitiligo affect?

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease. This type of disease develops when your immune system attacks part of your own body. If you have vitiligo, your immune system attacks cells in your body called melanocytes. These are cells that make pigment.

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What organs are involved in vitiligo?

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 ...

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Do people with vitiligo have weak 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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What are the serious 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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Vitiligo: When the Immune System Attacks & Causes Skin Discoloration

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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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Does vitiligo cause other health issues?

In the absence of other autoimmune conditions, vitiligo does not affect general health or physical functioning. However, concerns about appearance and ethnic identity are significant issues for many affected individuals.

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What makes vitiligo worse?

Certain components of hair dye, bleaching agents, and skin-care products can set off a vitiligo flare. Marmon advises choosing products labeled hypoallergenic that are free of harsh chemicals, fragrances, and irritants.

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What are disadvantages of vitiligo?

Can you die from vitiligo? Vitiligo does not pose a serious threat to one's health, but it can result in physical complications, such as eye issues, hearing problems, and sunburn. People with vitiligo also tend to be more likely to have another autoimmune disease (like thyroid disorders and some types of anemia).

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What is the main problem with vitiligo?

Vitiligo is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color.

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Does vitiligo affect kidneys?

Other co-morbidities including obesity and kidney injuries were found to have a significant association with vitiligo. It was found that vitiligo patients had an increased risk of developing obesity and renal diseases in comparison with the control group.

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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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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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How do you slow down vitiligo?

How do I prevent vitiligo from getting worse?
  1. Protect your skin from the sun. ...
  2. Never use a tanning bed or sun lamp. ...
  3. Avoid cuts, scrapes, and burns. ...
  4. If you want to add color to your skin, use camouflage makeup, self-tanner, or skin dye. ...
  5. Know the risks of getting a tattoo.

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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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Can vitiligo change your whole body?

Vitiligo can appear on any part of the body, in many different shapes and forms. It is most frequent on the face and genitals, then the hands and feet, and then the rest of the body.

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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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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 get worse with age?

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 stops vitiligo from spreading?

Topical steroids come as a cream or ointment you apply to your skin. They can sometimes stop the spread of the white patches and may restore some of your original skin colour. A topical steroid may be prescribed to adults if: you have non-segmental vitiligo on less than 10% of your body.

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Which fruit is good for vitiligo?

Skin specialists suggested recommend a healthy diet for boosting the immune system. It is believed that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, and a strong immune system can prevent the spread of the depigmentation. Fruits – Fig, apricot, and ripe mango.

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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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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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