Vitiligo »
What is vitiligo, and what causes it?
Vitiligo (vit-ill-EYE-go) is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes
(the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed. As a result, white
patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. Similar patches also
appear on both the mucous membranes (tissues that line the inside of the mouth
and nose), and the retina (inner layer of the eyeball). The hair that grows on
areas affected by vitiligo sometimes turns white.
The cause of vitiligo is not known, but doctors and researchers have several
different theories. There is strong evidence that people with vitiligo inherit a
group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation. The most
widely accepted view is that the depigmentation occurs because vitiligo is an
autoimmune disease -- a disease in which a person's immune system reacts against
the body's own organs or tissues. As such, people's bodies produce proteins
called cytok...
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