What is Vitiligo ( Leucoderma )

It is a skin related disease more commonly known as "leucoderma", which means white skin. It is a common disorder of depigmentation, which occurs due to retarded function of melanin in the skin. The melanoblasts in the affected area lose their power of forming pigment. In this condition patches of skin lose their pigmentation and become perfectly white, though no other changes take place in them and particularly there is no formation of scales over them. Vitiligo is found all over the world, in all countries and all races and may occur in either sex at any age.

Clinical Features of Vitiligo

Initially, discoloration takes place in small spots on different parts of the skin. The white patches may appear on any part but are more common on the face and neck, hands and wrists, lower abdomen and thighs. The patches may be of any size and shape and may not be necessarily symmetrical. Over a period of time, with the reduction of melanin in the body, these spots slowly increase in size until large areas of the skin are completely decolorized. Finally almost entire skin becomes white. The small remaining patches of skin may then be mistaken as pigmented areas. This mistake may be avoided by keeping in mind that the vitiligo areas have convex margins whereas normal areas have concave margins. When vitiligo occurs on a hairy area such as eyebrows and pubes, the hair on the white patch may also become white.

The skin may also become white in patches due to destruction of melanocytes but this is generally the result of burns, which is not leucoderma. This can be distinguished during diagnosis.

It is more prominent in dark skinned persons. In white skinned persons, it becomes more noticeable when the normal skin is tanned by the sun. The patients are very susceptible to sunburn. Since the white areas have no protective pigment, they are easily made red and sore by exposure to sun or artificial ultra-violet light.

In rare cases though, repigmentation may take place making the white spots disappear.

Associated Symptoms

Like sufferers of any other disease, sufferers of vitiligo have other health problems present whether directly associated with the disease or not. Different practitioners have mentioned such diseases according to their experience and observations. Common diseases which may be present along with vitiligo include the following:

• Hypotension. I have noticed it in majority of the cases.
• Subnormal body temperature. Almost always noticed.
• Alopecia (Loss of hair)
• Premature graying of hair
• Halo Nevus
• Anemia
• Diabetes Insipidus (Type-1)
• General weakness and lassitude
• Sensitivity to cold