Main menu
Click categories to expand
A-Z listingplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigA-Z listing
This is an alphabetical index of all content pages.
Other categories
Utilities
Also see
Importance Ratings
News
Legal
Donate/Sponsor
Curator's rationale
AI Policy
Twitter feed đť•Ź
Feeds + s.e.o. etc.
rss / xml feed 
sitemap file
A-Z listing (archived)
Vitiligo, an acquired pigmentary disorder of unknown origin, is the most frequent cause of depigmentation worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 1%. The disorder can be psychologically devastating and stigmatising, especially in dark skinned individuals. Vitiligo is clinically characterised by the development of white macules due to the loss of functioning melanocytes in the skin or hair, or both.“
Source : British Journal of Dermatology
The cause is unknown, but the current view is that it is probably linked to autoimmune unbalances in people with with genetic susceptibility. Environmental factors might also play a role.
It's estimated to affect around 1% of people worldwide.
Various theories have been suggested for the cause of melanocyte loss in vitiligo; some have proposed that vitiligo is a multifactorial disease, with both genetic and environmental factors implicated in its initiation. The same causal mechanisms might not apply to all cases, and different pathogenetic mechanisms might work together (convergence or integrated theory), ultimately leading to the same clinical result. The autoimmune or autoinflammatory theory is the leading hypothesis for causation and is supported by strong evidence.”
Source : The Lancet 2015
More info. at Wikipedia
Ideas for new topics, and suggested additions / corrections for older ones, are always welcome.
If you have skills or interests in a particular field, and have suggestions for Wikenigma, get in touch !
Or, if you'd like to become a regular contributor . . . request a login password. Registered users can edit the entire content of the site, and also create new pages.
( The 'Notes for contributors' section in the main menu has further information and guidelines etc.)
You are currently viewing an auto-translated version of Wikenigma
Please be aware that no automatic translation engines are 100% accurate, and so the auto-translated content will very probably feature errors and omissions.
Nevertheless, Wikenigma hopes that the translated content will help to attract a wider global audience.
DOKUWIKI IMPLEMENTATION DESIGN BY UNIV.ORG.UK DECEMBER 2023