A Cross-sectional Study of the Catalase Genetic Polymorphism (-262 cytosine/ thymine) and Blood Catalase Activity among Jordanian Vitiligo Patients

Vitiligo is brought on by functional melanocyte loss and manifests as white maculae that may cover the whole body's skin. There is a genetic background in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Polymorphisms in different parts of catalase gene may affect the disease activity and result in less functional catalase, thus, accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, one of the oxidative factors that damage melanocytes. We evaluated the CAT 262 genetic polymorphism of vitiligo patients using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique with at least one C and at least one T model. The study included 48 vitiligo patient and 51 control individuals. Family history of vitiligo was present in 27.1% of patients and autoimmune disease were diagnosed in 16.7% of patients. Three quarters of vitiligo patients (75.0%) reported that emotional stress was the major triggering factor for their disease. The CC genotype was predominant (56.2% in vitiligo patients and 62.7% in control) with no significant difference between the study groups (p=0.7). Catalase activity in blood was comparable between the study arms (159.1±21.6 MU/L in vitiligo patients and 151.3±25.4 MU/L in controls (p=0.15). We conclude that neither genetic polymorphism in CAT 262 C/T nor blood catalase activity is associated with vitiligo.