Epidemiological and clinical profile of childhood vitiligo in Abidjan: a study of 40 cases

Background Vitiligo is an acquired and visible leucoderma that can lead to social stigmatization. The aim of this study was to establish the epidemiological and clinical profile of childhood vitiligo in Abidjan. In fact, very little data is available on this chronic child disease in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional study at University Teaching Hospital of Treichville from June 2017 to June 2018. All children under 16 years old with vitiligo who meet our selection criteria were included. CSPRO 7.2 and SPSS 23 software were used for data analysis and the significance threshold was set at 0.05. Results The prevalence of childhood vitiligo was 1.78%. Our series consisted of 19 boys and 21 girls (sex ratio M/F: 0.9). Children aged between 9 and 15 years old were the most affected (45%). The main family history were diabetes (37.5%), early canitis (30%) and vitiligo (17.5%). Atopic dermatitis was the main dermatosis associated with the childhood vitiligo (17.5%). The main clinical form of vitiligo was the non-segmental form (47.5%). The segmental and mixed forms had rates of 42.5% and 10% respectively. The vitiligo lesions were mainly located in sun-exposed areas (52.5%) and the segmental vitiligo significantly reached the face (P=0.04). Segmental vitiligo was also more common in children aged 0 to 3 years (P=0.03). The Koebner phenomenon was present in 5 children and was statistically associated with non-segmental vitiligo (P=0.04). Conclusion The prevalence of vitiligo in our series was 1.78%. This pathology occurs mainly in older children. The main clinical form was the non-segmental form. The affection was most often located on the sun-exposed areas.