title: Comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few large-scale studies have quantified the burden of comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine the prevalence of comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a manual chart review on a cohort of 1873 patients with vitiligo seen between January 2002 and October 2012 at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI. Patients were excluded if they had fewer than 2 dermatology notes (N = 595) or if they were never given a diagnosis of vitiligo by a dermatologist (N = 180).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1098 patients with vitiligo, nearly 20% had at least 1 comorbid autoimmune disease. Compared with the general US population, we found a higher prevalence of thyroid disease (12.9%, P < .001), alopecia areata (3.8%, P < .001), inflammatory bowel disease (0.9%, P = .046), pernicious anemia (0.5%, P = .007), systemic lupus erythematosus (0.3%, P = .048), Guillain-Barre syndrome (0.3%, P < .001), discoid lupus (0.2%, P = .003), linear morphea (0.2%, P < .001), myasthenia gravis (0.2%, P = .002), and Sjögren syndrome (0.2%, P = .011).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study lacked a control group. This was a single-institution study with possible selection bias, and thus the findings may not be representative of the overall population of patients with vitiligo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed a high prevalence of comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo and report several new associations.
authors.affiliation: College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarbo
authors.affiliation: Vitiligo Research and Treatment Center, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Prescilia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Isedeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.affiliation: Vitiligo Research and Treatment Center, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Henry W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Vitiligo Research and Treatment Center, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan. Electronic address: ihamzav1@hfhs.org.
authors.forename: Iltefat
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hamzavi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000453:epidemiology; D000752:Anemia, Pernicious / Q000453:epidemiology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D001830:Body Surface Area; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008179:Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid / Q000453:epidemiology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012594:Scleroderma, Localized / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alopecia areata; associations; autoimmune disease; comorbidities; prevalence; thyroid disease; vitiligo