Table of contents:

1. What is vitiligo?
2. Causes of vitiligo
3. Theories of epigenesis
4. Treatment

What is vitiligo?

Vitiligo is a disease that results in depigmentation of patches of skin. The cause of the appearance of white patches is the death of melanocytes - cells naturally found in the skin that are responsible for the production of pigment.

Causes of vitiligo

So far, scientists have not clearly defined what causes vitiligo. It is thought that vitiligo can be genetically determined. This is confirmed by the births of children affected by the disease. Congenital vitiligo persists throughout the patient's life. Another extreme cause of vitiligo is generalised congenital vitiligo, also known as total albinism. This disorder is characterised by abnormal tyrosine metabolism, resulting in abnormal melanocytes. Another common form of vitiligo is called partial albinism, where no melanocytes are found at all in areas of the skin lacking pigment. There is also acquired vitiligo, which is extremely common (affecting up to 1 % of the population!). It is caused by a chronic breakdown of pigment cells in the skin.

Theories of epigenesis

To date, researchers have put forward three main theories of vitiligo epigenesis:

• autoimmune theory - co-occurrence of vitiligo with other autoimmune diseases such as lupus, diabetes,
• neural theory- associated with changes in the so-called dermatomes of the skin,
• the melanocyte self-destruction theory - related to a hitherto unknown external factor that activates melanocyte breakdown.

Treatment

Depending on the severity of the symptoms, different forms of treatment are used. In the case of a mild form of vitiligo, the use of corticosteroids, administered topically, appears to be an effective treatment. In the case of more advanced disease, phototherapy is becoming a popular method of treatment, which, through the use of UVA and UVB rays, effectively 'attracts' melanocytes to areas where they are not present.