Health information on vitiligo

Health information on vitiligo

Vitiligo is known to impact at least one percent of the population, and this disorder takes places without any distinction races. Amongst most people who are affected with vitiligo, the loss of pigmentation starts to show even before the age of 20. Amongst other studies, statistics also reveal that about one-fifth of the people with vitiligo have at least other family members with the same problem.

Although most patients afflicted with vitiligo are generally in good health, they have a greater risk of experiencing autoimmune diseases like diabetes, thyroid disorders, a harmful and deadly type of anemia (B12 deficiency), Addison's Disease which is a type of a disease affecting the adrenal gland and alopecia areata or round patches of hair loss on the scalp.




The actual causes of vitiligo are not known. In most cases the disorder is usually triggered off by some sort of physical injury affecting the skin such as severe sunburn, or very high emotional stress. Medical analysts claim there are some theories that compound the cause of vitiligo. These are -

• Abnormally functioning nerve cells grievously begin to injure the pigment cells
• The body may suddenly develop an autoimmune response opposing the pigment cells and start ruining the skin tissues or melanin which the body begins to comprehend as foreign.
• The pigment cells start becoming self-destructive, also known as the Auto-toxic theory.