title: Vitiligo: current medical and scientific understanding.
abstract: Vitiligo is a relatively common acquired skin depigmentary disease with a complex presentation, therapy, and etiology. Both the prognosis and therapeutic response for patients with vitiligo is unpredictable. Multiple current therapies exist however the efficacy of these are not optimal. The cause of vitiligo appears to be a combination of genetic effects in both the immune system and the melanocyte itself with a precipitating factor instigating their interaction and resulting in the melanocyte destruction. Headway is being made in understanding the etiology of vitiligo that should culminate in new and improved therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0592, USA. boissyre@ucmail.uc.edu
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Boissy
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Nordlund
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D006873:Hydroquinones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation; D011701:PUVA Therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D006873:Hydroquinones; C031927:hydroquinone