Vitiligo (synonym: checkered skin; ICD-10 L80) is white spot disease, which is a chronic skin disorder associated with varying degrees of pigment loss (hypopigmentation).
The disease is considered a T-cell mediated autoimmune disorder.
Vitiligo can be localized (single foci) or generalized (vitiligo vulgaris vs vitiligo acrofacial):
- Vitiligo acrofacialis: patches are particularly localized on the face and hands and feet.
- Vitiligo vulgaris: spots occur the spots all over the body.
Furthermore, a vitiligo is distinguished into, among other things, a non-segmental vitiligo (more common form) and a segmental form (see below “Classification”).
First manifestation of vitiligo in the sense of a Köbner phenomenon in association with erythema solaris (“sunburn“), i.e. appearance of disease-specific skin changes after non-specific irritation (in this case: sunlight) at a previously unaffected area of the skin.
Sex ratio: Men and women are affected with equal frequency.
Frequency peak: The maximum incidence is in adolescence and early adulthood, i.e. between the ages of 10 and 30 (70-80% of patients before the age of 30).
The prevalence (disease frequency) is about one percent in Germany; worldwide estimated at 0.5-2-4 % of the population; in diabetics at 4.8 % (therefore vitiligo is considered a marker disease of diabetes mellitus).
Course and prognosis: At the beginning, the disease often goes unnoticed. Often the white patches are first noticed in summer, when the contrast to the sun-tanned skin becomes greater. The course of the disease varies greatly from individual to individual, and therapy is rather protracted. It is not possible to predict in individual patients whether the light skin spots will continue to increase in size or remain constant in their area. Also, pigmentation may return in some patches.
