Vitiligo is 10 to 15 times more common in patients with other autoimmune diseases, such as Addison's disease, diabetes mellitus, pernicious anemia, discoid lupus, and abnormal thyroid function. This disorder has only recently been identified as an autoimmune disease because organ-specific antibodies have now been detected in patients with vitiligo.
Pigment cells are what give color or tint to the skin.
Vitiligo has a tendency to run in families and may follow unusual trauma, especially to the head. The disease may also be referred to as leukoderma. Autoimmune diseases occur when these reactions inexplicably take place against the body's own cells and tissue by producing self-reactive antibodies. In vitiligo, the autoantibody is directed against the melanocytes. For more information on vitiligo or other autoimmune disorders, please click on the request information icon below.