title: Childhood vitiligo in China: clinical profiles and immunological findings in 620 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childhood vitiligo is a common pediatric skin disorder. The pathogenesis of vitiligo is unclear, and immunological dysfunction may play an important role.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This prospective study aimed to profile childhood vitiligo and to discuss its correlation with immunological dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  All of the 620 enrolled patients were aged younger than 14 years, and were assessed with a standard questionnaire. The levels of immunoglobulins, complement, and T-lymphocyte subsets were measured in 270 of these 620 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 620 children, 302 (48.71%) were boys and 318 (51.29%) were girls, with an average disease onset age of 7.57 years. The average duration was 13.45 months. 453 (73.06%) children had head and neck involvement and 160 (25.81%) children had segmental vitiligo. 84 (13.55%) children had a family history. There was a correlation between the disease and seasons. The onset or progression usually occurred in summer and spring. Halo nevus was seen in both segmental and non-segmental vitiligo. Precipitating factors such as stress appeared more commonly in segmental vitiligo. As to the immunological findings, in segmental vitiligo, the levels of C3 and C4 were lower in the active relative to the quiescent stage (p < 0.05); and in non-segmental vitiligo, the percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ lymphocytes and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio were lower in the active relative to the quiescent stage (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood vitiligo has its own clinical features. The different types of vitiligo have different characteristics. There is immunological dysfunction in children with vitiligo. Dysfunction of humoral immunity may play a role in the progression of segmental vitiligo, while non-segmental vitiligo is more related to cellular immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Lu-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Wen-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Ke-Fei
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D003165:Complement System Proteins