Clinical efficacy analysis of 110 cases of childhood vitiligo with non-surgical combined therapy

Abstract Background Vitiligo has a negative effect on children’s physical and psychological health. Few studies have examined long-term treatment efficacy for childhood vitiligo. Therefore, we evaluated the long-term effectiveness of non-surgical combination therapy in pediatric patients with vitiligo and analyzed factors that affect its efficacy. Methods Pediatric patients (⩽12 years) with vitiligo who were treated with topical corticosteroids/topical calcineurin inhibitors and phototherapy for 12 months were retrospectively studied. Short-term systemic corticosteroids were administered according to individual clinical conditions. All lesions were photographed to assess repigmentation at 3-month intervals. Clinical data, the treatment effectiveness, and factors affecting the therapeutic effect were analyzed. Results Overall, 110 children (51 [53.6%] girls; mean [SD] age, 7.1 ± 3.0 years; 104 [94.5%] with activity status) were treated for a mean period of 23.13 ± 14.03 months (range, 5–86 months). The overall >50% repigmentation rate was 64.5%. A longer duration of treatment was associated with a higher repigmentation rate (X 2 trend = 36.229, P < .001). The vitiligo disease activity score at the first visit was positively correlated with the overall repigmentation rate (rs = 0.301, P = .001). Conclusions Treatment lasting longer than 1 year is recommended in children with vitiligo. The best repigmentation effect can be achieved by combination therapy in the rapid progression stage.