Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders in Patients With Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a common skin pigmentation disorder affecting 0.5-2% of the general population. The pathogenesis of vitiligo is not well-known; however, some evidences have shown the role of autoimmune processes. Increased prevalence of thyroid autoimmune disorders in patients with vitiligo has been reported.

We aimed to assess the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disorders among patients with vitiligo who referred to Sina Hospital of Hamadan in west of Iran in 2008.
Patients and

This case-control study comprised 45 patients with vitiligo and 45 healthy individuals (control group). Data on age, gender, family history of vitiligo, distribution pattern and duration of the disease were collected through a questionnaire. Fasting blood samples of the patients were tested to measure blood thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxin (T4), and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) levels.

The mean ages of cases and controls were 30.71 ± 4.8 and 30.31 ± 3.7 years old, respectively. Totally, 86.7% of cases had generalized lesions. In 32.2% of cases, trunk was the first involved region. Average duration of the disease was 7.76 years. The mean T4 level was 1.55 ± 0.27 pmol/L in case and 1.48 ± 0.22 pmol/L in control groups. The mean blood TSH levels were 1.94 ± 1.42 mIU/L in case and 2.8 ± 6.51 mIU/L in control groups and the mean anti-TPO levels were 136.82 ± 45.54 and 86.87 ± 23.05 IU/mL in case and control groups, respectively. None of the aforementioned differences were statistically significant.

Our findings showed that the small difference in thyroid test results between the two groups was not statistically significant. According to our findings, patients with vitiligo were not at a higher risk for either autoimmune or functional thyroid disorders in comparison with the healthy ones