You’ve possibly heard similar perspectives from your patients with vitiligo. Yes, it may commonly be seen as “just” a skin condition, but for people with vitiligo, the impact goes far deeper. The lack of approved treatments doesn’t help. It can create frustrations for you and your patients, leaving patients to face their condition in isolation.
Vitiligo affects approximately 2% of people worldwide and is the most common depigmenting skin disease.2,3 And yet, many people may downplay the impact of vitiligo, thinking it is only a simple cosmetic skin condition. In fact, vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease2,3 that deserves greater priority when it comes to new research and treatment.
Adapted from Bibeau, K. et al. Global Valiant Study (2022)
Prevalence of vitiligo worldwide and in Europe4-9
Prevalence of vitiligo worldwide and in Europe4-9
Image adapted from Krüger C, Schallreuter KU. Int J Dermatol. 2012;51:1206-1212, with permission of John Wiley and Sons, Copyright 2012 the International Society of Dermatology.
2.6% of people in Canada
0.1-2.4% of people in the US
1.5-1.8% of people in the Europe
1.3-2.4% of people in the UK
0.3-1.6% of people in France
0.2-3.9% of people in Italy
0.6-1.4% of people in Germany
1.5-2.4% of people in Spain
0.5-1.7% of people in Japan
Image adapted from Krüger C, Schallreuter KU. Int J Dermatol. 2012;51:1206-1212, with permission of John Wiley and Sons, Copyright 2012 the International Society of Dermatology.
More needs to be done to help you support your patients with vitiligo
- Bibeau K, Hamzavi I, et al. Mental Health and Psychosocial Burden Among Patients Living With Vitiligo: Findings From the Global VALIANT Study. Presented at: Maui Derm for Dermatologists; January 24, 2022; Grand Wailea, Maui, HI.
- Bergqvist C, Ezzedine K. Vitiligo: A Review. Dermatol Basel Switz. 2020;236(6):571-592.
- Bergqvist C, Ezzedine K. Vitiligo: A focus on pathogenesis and its therapeutic implications. J Dermatol. 2021;48(3):252-270.
- Omics online. Omics online vitiligo. Available at: https://www.omicsonline.org/canada/vitiligo-peer-reviewed-pdf-ppt-articles/. Published online 2022. Accessed September 2022.
- Statistics Canada. Table 17-10-0009-01. Population estimates, quarterly. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/ch/tv.action?pid=1710000901. Accessed Sept 2022.
- Harris JE, Ezzedine K, et al. 17755 Global survey investigating the prevalence of vitiligo and vitiligo signs among adults in Europe, Japan, and the United States. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83(6, Supplement):AB198. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.06.881
- Zhang Y, Cai Y, et al. The Prevalence of Vitiligo: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2016;11(9):e0163806.
- Bibeau K, Trinidad J, et al. The Prevalence of Vitiligo and Vitiligo Signs in a Broad European Population: Results From the Global Vitiligo Prevalence Study. Published online 2022. Presented at: the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress; October 9-13, 2019; Madrid, Spain.
- Krüger C, Schallreuter KU. Int J Dermatol. 2012;51:1206-1212.
