Korean J Dermatol.
1998 Dec;36(6):1037-1042.
Clinical Study of Vitiligo
Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentary disorder of the skin and hair. The etiology is unknown, however an autoimmune hypothesis is favored.
OBJECTIVE
We performed this study to develop a better understanding of the clinical features of vitiligo patients. METHOD: We evaluated clinical manifestations of 1203 vitiligo patients(556 males and 647 females).
RESULTS
AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. The mean age of onset and that of the first visits made by patients were 22.9+/-18 and 27.9+/-19 years, respectively. 2. The face(37.4%) was the most common site of initial involvement. In decreasing order of frequency, the common sites of involvement were the face and neck(65.9%), thorax and abdomen(42.9%), upper extremities(42.3%). 44.5% of the cases had the vulgaris type, 26.1% the focal type, and 21.1% the segmental type. During the three months before a visit, 44% of patients experienced progression of disease. Within one year, about 75% of patients reported that the disease had progressed. 3. Precipitating or aggravating factors such as trauma(13.1%), psychological stress(9.2%), sun light (2.8%) and pregnancy(2.5%), were found in 30.9% of patients. Thyroid disease was the most common associated disease.
