Alopecia Areata a Classic Vitiligo Comorbidity

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Vitiligo is an acquired autoimmune skin disease clinically manifested by foci of depigmentation due to the death of epidermal melanocytes. Although vitiligo most often runs in isolation, being limited to a pathological process in skin, this disease can lead to the development of a number of comorbid disorders. Alopecia areata also being an autoimmune disorder of skin appendages, is one of the most common comorbid disorders in vitiligo, manifesting along with the main disease, against the background main disease, or as the main disease itself. In the article, a clinical case of association of vitiligo and alopecia areata is presented, similarities and differences in their pathogenesis are discussed, and other comorbid disorders are described. CONCLUSION: Determination and identification of comorbid disorders with the underlying chronic dermatosis is an important task aiming to prevent the development of probable autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders. Despite the fact that vitiligo usually runs without systemic manifestations, identification and prevention of a comorbid pathology of the dermatosis should not be ignored by clinicians of different profiles.