Clinical and Epidemiological Study of Vitiligo Patients at a Dermatology Service in Northern Brazil

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is an acquired hypomelanosis that affects between 0.5% and 4% of the world population, characterized by distinct acromic macules of various shapes and sizes, and may appear in any region of the skin. Worldwide, there are few publications on vitiligo that address epidemiological characteristics. Thus, the objective was to describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with this condition at the State University of Pará’s Dermatology Clinic, in the city of Belém, Northern of Brazil. Methods and Findings: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed, in which 180 medical records of patients treated at the State University of Pará’s Dermatology Clinic, from July 2000 to July 2014, were analyzed using a protocol consisting of variables related to the disease. The information obtained was organized in a database and submitted to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The study was approved by the ethics and research committee under the number 923.213. A predominance of the female gender (72.2%), of the adult age group (55%) was observed; without relation to family history (46.7%); without progression (58.3%); with a predominant clinical form of vitiligo of the generalized type (67.2%), being the common generalized one with the highest prevalence (57%). The most affected sites were head and neck (27.5%), and upper limbs (25.3%). Conclusions: This study revealed the characteristics of the vitiligo patient residing in the Amazon region, and patients were found to have a generalized clinical form, most of the patients achieved improvement of the lesions with the proposed treatment, and only a minority presented progression of the disease. It is concluded that vitiligo is a disease with great therapeutic difficulty, and it is emphasized the importance of an early diagnosis, since in the early stages is easier to resolve the disease.