The prevalence of psychological comorbidity in people with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Summary Vitiligo is a long-term condition where pale white patches develop on the skin. It's caused by a lack of melanin, a pigment (colour) in the skin. People of any age, skin type and gender can develop vitiligo and it can affect any area of skin. It is estimated that about 1 in 100 people around the world has vitiligo. The researchers who conducted this study are based in Nigeria and the UK. Our study aimed to find out how commonly psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety occur in people in vitiligo, by looking at all relevant published studies from around the world. After extracting data from 29 studies published in this area we found that people living with vitiligo experience a range of psychological symptoms or disorders. Approximately one in four people with vitiligo appear to have depression and at least one in seven have anxiety. However, they were significantly less likely to show symptoms of depression than people with psoriasis. We also found that there were many tools to measure psychological outcomes (the emotional impact) in skin diseases, and more work needs to be done to develop tools which can be used in people with vitiligo. Our conclusion is that assessment of psychological state during clinical evaluation of vitiligo patients, as suggested by the British Association of Dermatologists’ guidelines, is essential. The same can be said for clinical evaluation of people with other skin conditions.