Comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo: A cross-sectional study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2016

Publication Title

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alopecia Areata, Anemia, Pernicious, Autoimmune Diseases, Body Surface Area, Child, Child, Preschool, Comorbidity, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Graves Disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Hashimoto Disease, Humans, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid, Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic, Male, Middle Aged, Myasthenia Gravis, Prevalence, Scleroderma, Localized, Severity of Illness Index, Sex Factors, Sjogren's Syndrome, Thyroid Diseases, Vitiligo, Young Adult

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Few large-scale studies have quantified the burden of comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the prevalence of comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo.

METHODS: We conducted a manual chart review on a cohort of 1873 patients with vitiligo seen between January 2002 and October 2012 at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI. Patients were excluded if they had fewer than 2 dermatology notes (N = 595) or if they were never given a diagnosis of vitiligo by a dermatologist (N = 180).

RESULTS: Of 1098 patients with vitiligo, nearly 20% had at least 1 comorbid autoimmune disease. Compared with the general US population, we found a higher prevalence of thyroid disease (12.9%, P < .001), alopecia areata (3.8%, P < .001), inflammatory bowel disease (0.9%, P = .046), pernicious anemia (0.5%, P = .007), systemic lupus erythematosus (0.3%, P = .048), Guillain-Barre syndrome (0.3%, P < .001), discoid lupus (0.2%, P = .003), linear morphea (0.2%, P < .001), myasthenia gravis (0.2%, P = .002), and Sjögren syndrome (0.2%, P = .011).

LIMITATIONS: The study lacked a control group. This was a single-institution study with possible selection bias, and thus the findings may not be representative of the overall population of patients with vitiligo.

CONCLUSIONS: We observed a high prevalence of comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo and report several new associations.

Medical Subject Headings

Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alopecia Areata; Anemia, Pernicious; Autoimmune Diseases; Body Surface Area; Child; Child, Preschool; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Graves Disease; Guillain-Barre Syndrome; Hashimoto Disease; Humans; Hyperthyroidism; Hypothyroidism; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Male; Middle Aged; Myasthenia Gravis; Prevalence; Scleroderma, Localized; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Factors; Sjogren's Syndrome; Thyroid Diseases; Vitiligo; Young Adult

PubMed ID

26518171

Volume

74

Issue

2

First Page

295

Last Page

302

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