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Vitiligo

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Dermatology in Public Health Environments

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Abstract

Vitiligo is an acquired chronic disease with prevalence of about 1% worldwide. The impact on patients’ self-esteem may range from severe depression to anxiety, which diminish their quality of life. Different hypotheses proposed for vitiligo etiopathogenesis are not necessarily competitive or in disagreement. Vitiligo per se may be in truth a combination of an intricate blend of biological pathways that leads to melanocyte disappearance in lesioned skin. Perhaps the autoimmune phenomenon in vitiligo might be triggered by antigen release caused by oxidative stress or antigen release by detached melanocytes that are presented to the immune system. There is no FDA-approved treatment for this neglected disease. Phototherapy, mainly narrow-band ultraviolet B, is considered the major treatment. Several surgical modalities used for patients with stable disease have delivered good results. The use of topical and systemic glucocorticoids are restricted to those patients with unstable disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Santa Casa Residency Training Program, Curitiba, Brazil

    Gerson Dellatorre MD & Felipe Bochnia Cerci MD

  2. Department of Dermatology, Hospital Santa Casa de Curitiba, Curitiba, Brazil

    Gerson Dellatorre MD & Felipe Bochnia Cerci MD

  3. Departments of Human Genetics and Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, McGill University and The Research Institute of McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Canada

    Vinícius Medeiros Fava Pharm D, PhD

  4. Department of Dermatology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil

    Caio Cesar Silva de Castro MD, PhD

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  1. Gerson Dellatorre MD
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  2. Felipe Bochnia Cerci MD
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  4. Caio Cesar Silva de Castro MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Caio Cesar Silva de Castro MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dermatology Service of Clinical, Hospital of Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Renan Rangel Bonamigo

  2. Health Secretary of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Sergio Ivan Torres Dornelles

Glossary

Glossary

  1. 1.

    Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A variation in a single nucleotide at defined positions within genomes and are responsible for individual phenotypic characteristics, including a person’s propensity toward complex disorders. Each variation is present to some appreciable degree within a population.

  2. 2.

    Regulatory T Cells (TREGs): A subpopulation of T cells that modulate the immune system and are defined based on expression of CD4, CD25, and the transcription factor FoxP3. TREGs are crucial mediators of self-tolerance in the periphery, preventing autoimmune diseases and limiting chronic inflammatory diseases.

  3. 3.

    Koebner phenomenon: or isomorphic response; refers to the appearance of lesions along a site of injury.

  4. 4.

    Mosaicism: A condition whereby cells within the same person have a different genetic makeup, i.e., different cells in the same individual have different numbers or arrangements of chromosomes. It is called “mosaicism” because, in a way, the cells of the body are similar to the tiles of a mosaic. This condition can affect any type of cell, including: blood cells, sperm cells, and skin cells.

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Dellatorre, G., Cerci, F.B., Fava, V.M., Silva de Castro, C.C. (2018). Vitiligo. In: Bonamigo, R., Dornelles, S. (eds) Dermatology in Public Health Environments. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33919-1_23

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