Vitiligo

Rare card · No. 16840

Vitiligo ( VIT-ih-LY-goh) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes skin to lose pigment in patches that vary in size and can appear anywhere on the body. The result is the skin becomes light in colour. The development of vitiligo is linked to aberrant attachments between melanocytes (which produce melanin) and laminins, an extracellular protein. The disorder is thought to be caused by immune system changes with potential genetic factors. Often first appearing by young adulthood, it may be triggered by environmental factors, sun or chemical exposure, stress, and physical trauma. The most common form tends to affect more skin over time. Potential treatments include topical immunosuppressants and ultraviolet light therapy, especially 311-nm UVB in combination with antioxidants. In antiquity, the disorder was often conflated with leprosy, an infectious disease. Some public figures have had vitiligo, such as the singer Michael Jackson, who obscured his condition until it affected his entire...

Read on Wikipedia · Image James Heilman, MD, CC BY-SA 3.0