Vitiligo

[john wickens]

Why is Vitiligo random, in that, it tends to start at the periphery i.e scalp, lower limbs etc and then appears randomly in patches all over the body? What research is underway to establish why this autoimmune disease is triggered in the first place?

[Justine Greenwood]

Dear John,

Thank you for your interesting post. I have to admit that I am not an expert in Vitiligo as a condition and as such am not able to answer your question myself.

When researching, I came across useful information about the condition on NHS Choices http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Vitiligo/P ... ction.aspx which you might also find helpful.

There is also a section of NHS choices website which describes the clinical trials currently being carried out to find out more about Vitiligo.

As a pharmacist, I use NICE's clinical knowledge summaries to help me develop my knowledge of specific condition areas. There is an entry about vitiligo which gives a good overview of the condition and also the management of it, including the evidence base. http://cks.nice.org.uk/vitiligo#!background

The British Skin Foundation http://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk ... iligo.aspx and The Vitiligo Society http://www.vitiligosociety.org.uk/ also have lots of resources available for you to learn more. In fact, the society have a section of their website dedicated to research. There is an extract of a paper available for you to read on the pathogenisis of the condition if you look through the research section in detail.

I hope this helps you John,

Justine