A Clinical Study of 263 Patients with Childhood Vitiligo / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentary disorder and half of these patients experience disease onset during childhood. The psychosocial complications of vitiligo can be substantial, and especially for children. There has been no study that has compared the clinical features according to the symmetry of the vitiligo lesions of patients with childhood vitiligo. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical aspects and distribution of the vitiligo lesions according to the symmetry in patients with childhood vitiligo. METHODS: The clinical characteristics and distribution of the vitiligo lesions according to the symmetry were investigated in the 263 childhood patients who were diagnosed with vitiligo at the Dermatology Department of our University Hospital from January 1991 to August 2008. RESULTS: Of the 263 patients, 133 (50.6%) had the asymmetric vitiligo lesions, 76 (28.9%) had the symmetric lesions and 54 (20.5%) had the multiple lesions. Of the patients with asymmetric vitiligo lesions, 91 (34.6%) had the localized lesions and 42 (16.0%) had the segmental lesions. The most common site of the vitiligo lesions was the face (54.8%). In case of the vitiligo lesions on the scalp, face and neck, the asymmetric type was predominant. The lesions on the scalp and the face showed a lesser tendency to spread to other sites. CONCLUSION: Childhood vitiligo showed the higher prevalence of asymmetric vitiligo lesions. It is expected that the asymmetric type of childhood vitiligo, and especially that on the scalp and the face, may have a favorable clinical course.