Vitiligo: Epidemiology and Clinical Features at a University Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Abstract
Introduction: Vitiligo is a frequent dermatosis. However, there are few publications regarding its clinical and epidemiological characteristics in Latin America.
This study aimed to describe the prevalence of vitiligo, its clinical features, and comorbidities of a cohort of patients.
Methods: we performed a cross-sectional observational study, which analyzed the clinical charts of 622 patients with vitiligo evaluated at a University Hospital of Buenos Aires, Argentina, over ten years.
Results: the prevalence of vitiligo was 0.43%. 56% of patients were women. The mean age at diagnosis was 41 years. The most frequent comorbidities were thyroid disorders, alopecia areata, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, celiac disease, type I diabetes, chronic spontaneous urticaria, and rheumatoid arthritis. Generalized vitiligo was the most frequent presentation (43%). Eighty percent of patients received treatment, and more than 90 percent were seen by at least one dermatologist.
Conclusions: the prevalence of vitiligo, clinical characteristics, and associations were similar to those published in the international literature. Of note, 20% of patients did not receive treatment, and 10% did not seek a dermatologist.
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