Evaluation of the Clinical and Sociodemographic Features of Turkish Patients with Vitiligo

Vitiligo is an acquired, pigmentary skin disorder that affects about 0.1-4.0% of the population. In this study, we aimed to investigate the disease features such as age of onset, disease duration, clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, and laboratory parameters of patients with vitiligo. A hundred patients who were in follow-up for vitiligo between the period of June 2013 and May 2014 were included in the study. The clinical features and laboratory parameters were retrospectively obtained from the records of the patients. The mean age was 34.9±16.8 years. The most common clinical types were focal and acrofacial. Facial involvement was the most common localization. Forty-five (45%) patients had an associated systemic disease. Autoimmune thyroid disease, essential hypertension, and alopecia areata, which were observed in 28%, 8%, and 5% of patients, respectively, were the most common associated diseases. Twenty-one percent of the patients had low ferritin levels, 20% had low iron levels, 12% had low vitamin B12 levels, and 1% had low folic acid levels. The prevalence of anti-TG (anti-thyroglobulin) and anti-TPO (anti-thyroid peroxidase) antibodies were found 17% and 27% of the patients, respectively. We found that the clinical characteristics of vitiligo in our patients were similar to those in other studies. We observed laboratory abnormalities and accompanying diseases associated with vitiligo. Therefore we conclude that laboratory examinations including thyroid antibodies and regular follow-up of these patients are essential.