CLINICAL PATTERN OF VITILIGO AMONGST INDIANS

Vitiligo incidence in the series was 14 per thousand. The affliction of the younger subjects was frequent, the mean value of age at onset being 24.25 years. Both the sexes were affected and there was no significant difference between the two. The duration of the disease had wide variations, majority reporting in the course of one year. The emotional undertones and the ocurrence of the disease amongst family links were observed as provocating factors in some cases. Ivory white macules associated sometimes with erythematous tinge, leucotrichiae and islets of pigmentation were classic. The lower extremities were frequently involved, followed by face and other parts of the body. The disease was largely progressive, though in a few it was stationary. Vitiligo vulgaris was its commonest variant, followed by areata, zosteriformis, mucosae and acrofacialis. The associations namely diabetes mellitus, liver diseases and others were recorded. The occurrence of myasthenia gravis and trigeminal neuralgia in vitiligo was interesting. Its association on the basis of autoimmunity is brought out. The importance of the clinical parameters in anticipating the prognosis after psoralen therapy are discussed.