Clinico-epidemiological profile of vitiligo patients in Najran Region, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of vitiligo among patients with dermatological diseases in Najran, South-Western Saudi Arabia, and to explore the epidemiological profile of vitiligo patients in the region. Materials and methods: This single-observer, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted over a period of six months by recording the clinico-epidemiological profile of 101 vitiligo cases. The patients were diagnosed by history, clinical findings and Wood's lamp at the dermatology out-patient clinic in the King Khalid Hospital, Najran. Demographic and clinical data of the patients were collected using a pre-structured data collection form. Pearson chi(2) test and Fisher's exact test were used to explore the significant association of selected characteristics with 'type' and 'site' of vitiligo among the study-patients. Results: The estimated prevalence of vitiligo cases among the dermatology out-patient clinic attendees was 1.98%. Vitiligo patients were predominantly males (57.4%), Saudis (93.1%), housewives (24.8%), and non-smokers (95%). The mean age of the study-patients was 34.33 +/- 15.82 years, and the highest number (28.7%) belonged to the age group '31-40 years'. Of the cases, 5.9% had a family history of vitiligo, 6.9% had diabetes mellitus, and 4% were suffering from anemia. Approximately 99% of the patients or the parents of the pediatric patients were affected by either moderate or mild stress due to vitiligo. Highest number (48.5%) of the patients presented localized type of vitiligo, whereas 22.8% had acrofacial, 20.8% showed vulgaris, 5% presented universal, 2% had acral, and 1% experienced segmental type of vitiligo. Around one-fourth (25.7%) of the patients had vitiligo only on their extremities, while remaining cases experienced vitiligo on the other parts of their body. Median duration of the disease was 4 years (IQR: 2-7.5 years). The type of vitiligo showed a significant association with sex, underlying diseases, and stress grade (p < 0.05), while the site of vitiligo was significantly associated with sex and stress grade (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Localized vitiligo was found to be the most common type of vitiligo prevalent in the Najran Region. Because stress has a role in provoking vitiligo, community based awareness programs should be developed to reduce the stress in order to control and modify the course of the disease. (C) 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.