Childhood- and later-onset vitiligo have diverse epidemiologic and clinical characteristics

Background: Vitiligo onset during childhood is common. There are limited data regarding childhood-onset vitiligo.

Objective: We sought to provide an epidemiologic and clinical comparison between childhood- and later-onset vitiligo.

Methods: Two groups of patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients examined at the Vitiligo Clinic of Andreas Sygros Hospital for Skin and Venereal Diseases, Athens, Greece, from January 2005 to December 2009 with a disease onset before the age of 12 years were included in the childhood-onset group. The later-onset group included randomly selected patients who were examined at the same period and had a disease onset after the age of 12 years. After clinical examination, a standardized questionnaire was completed for each patient.

Results: In all, 126 patients were included in the childhood-onset and 107 patients in the later-onset group. Childhood-onset vitiligo: (1) involved different sites at initial presentation, (2) included more cases of segmental type, and (3) was characterized by a higher prevalence of allergic diseases and a lower prevalence of thyroid diseases. Longer duration of disease and a positive family history of thyroid disease were associated with the presence of thyroid disease only in the childhood-onset group. In the later-onset group, only female sex was associated with the presence of thyroid disease.

Limitations: The study was conducted in a hospital specializing in skin diseases and a selection bias toward more severe vitiligo cases is possible.

Conclusions: Childhood-onset vitiligo had distinct epidemiologic and clinical characteristics, compared with later-onset disease.