RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although the occurrence of psoriasis and vitiligo is reported in a few studies, no proper relationship has been found between these two diseases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of the coincidence of these two diseases. METHOD: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 6,200 patients referred to dermatology clinics from September 2004 to June 2005. RESULTS: Among these patients, 219 and 154 patients suffered from psoriasis (3.53%) and vitiligo (2.48%), respectively, and 12 patients (0.19%) had psoriasis and vitiligo simultaneously. The coincidence in the psoriasis group was 5.48% and in the vitiligo group was 7.79%, so the coincidence of both diseases was greater than the incidence of each alone. This association was significant (p = .004). CONCLUSION: Coincidence of these two diseases was seen, but more studies should be done to find common genetic and immunologic factors.