What are the symptoms of vitiligo?

Vitiligo (Vitiligo) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes loss of skin pigment. Its most significant symptom is the appearance of irregular milky white patches on the skin. These plaques can appear anywhere on the body, but are particularly common in exposed areas such as the hands, feet, arms, and face. As the disease progresses, these depigmented patches may gradually enlarge or spread, forming larger areas of loss of pigment. These white spots are often irregular in shape with sharp borders, causing significant changes in the patient's appearance and may have a psychological impact on them.

In addition to changes in the surface of the skin, vitiligo can also affect the hair. In affected areas of skin, hair may lose pigment and turn white. The condition is not limited to hair, but may also affect eyebrows, eyelashes, beards, and other body hair. Because the symptoms of vitiligo involve multiple parts of the body, patients may experience inconvenience and distress in their daily lives.

In addition, patients with vitiligo may sometimes experience depigmentation of the mucous membranes, especially on the inside of the mouth and nose. Although less obvious in appearance than the skin, pigment loss in the mucosa may also affect the patient's diet and quality of life.

Psychologically, the symptoms of vitiligo often cause patients to worry about their appearance, exacerbating feelings of inferiority and poor self-image. This psychological burden has a potential negative impact on the patient's social and emotional life, which may lead to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression, thereby further reducing the quality of life. Additionally, people with vitiligo may face comorbidities such as uveitis, an inflammation of the eye that can lead to vision problems. Some patients may also experience inflammation of the ears. These symptoms may cause the effects of vitiligo to extend beyond the surface of the skin to other organs in the body.

(Click to view the introduction of drugs for treating vitiligo)

Reference materials:https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/vitiligo