Vitiligo: a study of 120 cases.

Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder and of major social and cosmetic concern in India. Purpose of the study was to find out age at onset and sex incidence in vitiligo, role of hereditary factors and associations with other diseases. 120 self reporting vitiligo patients attending out patient department of a service hospital were selected for the study and this data was analysed. In the present series out of 120 cases 62 (51.6%) were males and 58(48.35%)were females. There was practically no difference in sex incidence. The lowest age of onset was two years and the oldest was 65 years. In the majority of patients,52(43.2%), disease started before twenty years of age.8 (6.6%) cases gave definite family history of vitiligo. Exposed areas of the body were commonly affected in majority (66.6%) of cases. The legs were commonest site of involvement in 60(50%) cases. Circumscript type of vitiligo (46.6%) was heading the list. Majority of patients (56.6%) had multiple lesions. Diabetes mellitus was found in 2 (2.6%) patients. Cause of vitiligo is still idiopathic. Hereditary factors hardly play any role in manifestation of vitiligo.