Vitiligo By Alex Day

Vitiligo Vitiligo is a skin condition in which there is loss of pigment (color) from areas of skin, resulting in irregular white patches that feel like normal skin.

Theories Cause is not yet known There is strong evidence that people with vitiligo inherit a group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation *That the depigmentation occurs because vitiligo is an autoimmune disease -- a disease in which a person's immune system reacts against the body's own organs or tissues. As such, people's bodies produce proteins called cytokines that alter their pigment-producing cells and cause these cells to die. That melanocytes destroy themselves.

Symptoms more noticeable in darker skinned people because of the contrast of white patches against dark skin. There is a sudden or gradual appearance of flat areas of normal-feeling skin with complete pigment loss. Lesions appear as flat areas with no pigment and with a darker border. The edges are sharply defined but irregular.

Location The most common areas on the human body to find vitiligo are the face, elbows and knees, hands and feet, and genitalia.

The Hands

Globally About 0.5 to 1 percent of the world's population, or as many as 65 million people, have vitiligo. In the United States, 1 to 2 million people have the disorder. Half the people who have vitiligo develop it before age 20; most develop it before their 40th birthday. The disorder affects both sexes and all races equally.

Most common when… Certain autoimmune diseases Hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland) Adrenocortical insufficiency (the adrenal gland does not produce enough of the hormone called corticosteroid) Alopecia areata(patches of baldness) Scientists do not know the reason for the association between vitiligo and these autoimmune diseases. However, most people with vitiligo have no other autoimmune disease

Inheritance Possibly hereditary. Children whose parents have the disorder are more likely to develop vitiligo. 30 percent of people with vitiligo have a family member with the disease. However, only 5 to 7 percent of children will get vitiligo even if a parent has it.

Treatment Light therapy Medicine (trimethylpsoralen (Trisoralen)) Corticosteroids Skin Grafts Microimpigmentation (tattooing) *** Depigmentation. Permanent Change…

Michael Jackson He was diagnosed with Vitiligo in 1986. In February 1993 while on Oprah’s show, he admitted he had the disease. After his death, friends, and relatives admitted that he began wearing his signature glove in order to hide the beginning stages of his vitiligo.

Citations http://www.medicinenet.com/vitiligo/article.htm http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitiligo/DS00586 http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_vitilgo.html https://www.google.com/health/ref/Vitiligo http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/vitiligo-common-cause-loss-skin-pigment