Vitiligo is considered one of the relatively common diseases in our Arab region and in the continent of Asia in general. Perhaps the first reference to it in the writings of the ancient world was in the books of ancient Indians around 1400 years BC, and it was known at that time as Shweta Kosta. In Arab countries, it is called vitiligo, and in the countries of the Franks it is called vitiligo. Vitiligo. Throughout the ages, until recently, patients with vitiligo suffered from the stigma of leprosy when it was difficult to differentiate between the two diseases. Just as the word leprosy was used to mean more than one disease, the word vitiligo was applied to several different diseases linked only to a change in skin color. So what is vitiligo?
What is vitiligo?
It is the appearance of white spots (devoid of pigment) of different sizes in the skin. These spots appear when the colored cells stop producing the pigment melanin.
Colored cells are found in the skin, hair follicles, mouth, eyes, and some areas of the nervous system. In vitiligo, these cells may disappear in any of these areas.
Who gets vitiligo?
Vitiligo affects 1-2% of the population, and approximately half of these people develop the disease before the age of twenty. In a third of cases, this disease affects several members of the same family. Although most vitiligo patients are in good health, some of them may suffer from one or more of the following diseases:
Increase or decrease in thyroid secretions, pernicious anemia (vitamin B12 deficiency), Addison’s disease (deficiency in parathyroid gland secretions), alopecia, dermatitis.
