HomeblogsDiseasesTop 5 Causes of Vitiligo Disease

Top 5 Causes of Vitiligo Disease

A chronic condition like vitiligo can seriously affect the quality of a person’s life. Although the major effects of vitiligo involve changes in the person’s appearance, it indirectly impacts their social life as well. Some people can let the condition limit them and reduce their social interactions, others embrace it and make it their unique selling proposition—models who have vitiligo are an example.

Learning about a health condition can be helpful to people as having clear answers make them feel somewhat in control. Knowing vitiligo causes and preventions can help a person manage their condition and stop the white patches from spreading further. Let’s start with a small overview of the condition.

What is vitiligo?

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes depigmented patches or spots to appear on a person’s body. Usually, these white depigmented patches, also known as macules, start small and first appear on the face, hands, or feet. Macules also cause the hair in that region to lose its colour and become white/silver/grey. People with vitiligo may also develop depigmentation in the mucosal glands such as the mouth, nose, or ear; however, this is very rare.

Vitiligo is not a severe health condition; it affects the appearance of a person. The affected areas become quite sensitive, especially to sunlight. Vitiligo can develop in people of any race or gender; it is likely to develop before an individual turns 30.

Types of vitiligo

Vitiligo is divided into two major categories—segmental and non-segmental Vitiligo. This classification is done on the basis of the position of macules. If the macules only occur in a section—one side of the body, a part of the leg, back, or head, it is known as segmental vitiligo. If the macules occur in a random fashion all over the body, it is known as non-segmental Vitiligo. This does not imply that a person with segmental vitiligo cannot have random macules on their body. However, segmental vitiligo is more difficult to treat than non-segmental vitiligo.

Symptoms of vitiligo

The most prominent symptom of vitiligo causes is macules on a person’s body. Although people don’t get any other sign of vitiligo, they might develop other symptoms such as itching, hearing loss, and changes in eye colour.

Vitiligo disease causes

The skin gets its colour from the natural pigment—melanin—which is produced by melanocytes (a type of cells). When these cells stop functioning, it causes vitiligo; the following are some of the most common causes of vitiligo in adults and children:

  1. Autoimmune conditions in which the immune system attacks healthy melanocytes, mistaking them for invaders
  2. Genetic changes that affect the functioning of melanocytes
  3. Frequent emotional or physical stress can affect the amount of pigment produced by melanocytes
  4. Severe sunburn or cuts (also known as Koebner response)
  5. Extended exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light or toxic chemicals and other environmental triggers

What causes Vitiligo to spread?

The following are some of the known triggers of vitiligo:

  1. Severe sunburn
  2. Injury or damage to the skin from a cut, scrape, burn, and/or tattoo
  3. Skin’s contact with a strong chemical (such as phenol)

People with vitiligo are recommended to do a patch test before trying out new products that touch their skin and use mild products that do not irritate their skin.

Risk factors

The following group of people have a high probability of getting vitiligo:

  1. People who have a family history of Vitiligo
  2. People who have blood relatives that have had autoimmune diseases, especially those affecting the thyroid or alopecia areata
  3. People who have non-Hodgkin lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system)
  4. People who have melanoma (the most severe skin cancer) or are being treated for it with immunotherapy

It is important to get a proper diagnosis from a dermatologist if you think you have vitiligo so that you can avoid unnecessary complications later on.

To sum it up
Vitiligo is rare condition that affects about 1% of the total population of the world. Scientists and doctors are researching the ins and outs of vitiligo to develop better treatment options for people with the condition. The macules (or white patches) of vitiligo are a reason of social distress for many people, but the general public has now become more accepting of the condition due to increased awareness.

Understanding the condition helps a person gain more control over their life and clear out any misconceptions or rumours that people might have. Now that you know what causes Vitiligo and its common triggers, you may be able to deal with the spread of macules on your body in a healthy manner.

Dr.William Lewis Aliquam sit amet dignissim ligula, eget sodales orci. Etiam vehicula est ligula, laoreet porttitor diam congue eget. Cras vestibulum id nisl eu luctus. In malesuada tortor magna, vel tincidunt augue fringilla eget. Fusce ac lectus nec tellus malesuada pretium.

MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery) Gold Medalist (2009-2015) M.D In General Medicine (2016-2019), CCID (Infectious Diseases)

PG Diploma In Clinical Endocrinology v& Diabetes, Clinical Associate in Non-Invasive Cardiology

Dr.William Lewis Aliquam sit amet dignissim ligula, eget sodales orci. Etiam vehicula est ligula, laoreet porttitor diam congue eget. Cras vestibulum id nisl eu luctus. In malesuada tortor magna, vel tincidunt augue fringilla eget. Fusce ac lectus nec tellus malesuada pretium.

MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery) Gold Medalist (2009-2015) M.D In General Medicine (2016-2019), CCID (Infectious Diseases)

PG Diploma In Clinical Endocrinology v& Diabetes, Clinical Associate in Non-Invasive Cardiology

Relevant Articles

Blog

Foods To Avoid During...

You have probably heard of a ringworm diet that can...

Foods to eat during...

You may get cold and cough about 2 to 3...

Subscribe Today

Receive Meaningful & Informative Blogs directly in your inbox

Irregular Periods: Causes and How to Manage

0
Does your period sometimes come like clockwork, and other times is it completely unpredictable? Irregular periods can be frustrating and cause confusion or even...

Head-to-Head Differences Between Hallucination and Delusion

0
Hallucinations and delusions both take you to the false reality of life, keeping you struggling with the things that are not real. Both are...

Control Your Blood Pressure: The Complete Guide to Easy Lifestyle

0
Managing blood pressure has been a challenge for most people. Low blood pressure (hypotension) symptoms can include dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, fatigue, cold clammy skin,...

Acute Renal Failure and Its Impact on Kidney Function

0
Acute renal failure (ARF), also known as acute kidney injury (AKI), is a severe and unexpected disorder in which the kidneys lose their filtering...