Medicine Atlas

How Healing Is Practiced
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Condition

Vitiligo

Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue

Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition in which patches of skin lose their pigment because the cells that produce melanin are destroyed. The patches can appear anywhere on the body, tend to grow over time, and are more noticeable on darker skin. Its exact cause is not fully understood, though it is widely regarded as an autoimmune condition, sometimes occurring alongside other autoimmune diseases.

Facts
Classification
Body System
Integumentary System 1
ICD-10 Chapter
XII: Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue 1
Communicable or Non-communicable
Non-Communicable 2
Transmission Route
Non-Transmissible 2
Causative Agent
Causative Agent (category)
Autoimmune 2
First Described
1500 BCE 2
Connections

Associated With

Dermatology, Medical Specialties

Skin depigmentation disorder; dermatology specialty.

Treated By

PUVA Therapy, Treatments
Source PUVA therapy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter XII
Quote, List of chapters, Chapter XII
Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
View the Source
2. Wikipedia: Vitiligo
Wikipedia
  • Vitiligo ( VIT-ih-LY-goh) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes skin to lose pigment (specifically melanin, which gives the skin color) in patches that vary in size and can appear anywhere...
  • History section
    Descriptions of a disease believed to be vitiligo date back to a passage in the Ebers Papyrus (c. 1500 BC), an ancient Egyptian medical text.
  • Lead section, disease-category statement
    Vitiligo ( VIT-ih-LY-goh) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes skin to lose pigment (specifically melanin, which gives the skin color) in patches that vary in size and can appear anywhere on the body.
  • Lead section, transmission-route statement
    Vitiligo ( VIT-ih-LY-goh) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes skin to lose pigment (specifically melanin, which gives the skin color) in patches that vary in size and can appear anywhere on the body.
View the Source
PUVA therapy (Wikipedia)
Treated By: PUVA Therapy, Lead: treats Vitiligo
Quote, Treated By: PUVA Therapy, Lead: treats Vitiligo
PUVA (psoralen and UVA) is an ultraviolet light therapy treatment for skin diseases: vitiligo, eczema, psoriasis, graft-versus-host disease, mycosis fungoides, large plaque parapsoriasis, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, using the sensitizing effects of the drug psoralen.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.