Ramam M, Taneja N, Sreenivas V, Sahni K, Gupta V. Disease stability in segmental and non-segmental vitiligo.
Indian Dermatol Online J 2022;
13:60-63. [PMID:
35198469 PMCID:
PMC8809159 DOI:
10.4103/idoj.idoj_154_21]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction:
Some therapeutic decisions in vitiligo depend on the likelihood of the disease remaining stable and inactive.
Aim:
To determine a period of disease stability in vitiligo following which reactivation was unlikely.
Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in 200 patients where a detailed clinical history of the disease activity and stability over the course of vitiligo was recorded.
Results:
There were 167 (83.5%) patients with non-segmental vitiligo and 33 (16.5%) with segmental vitiligo. For every 1-year increase in the duration of the disease, stable and active periods increased by 0.7 and 0.3 years, respectively in non-segmental vitiligo and by 0.9 and 0.1 years in segmental vitiligo (P < 0.01). When segmental vitiligo was stable for at least 2 years, it was five times less likely to re-activate than the disease that was stable for less than 2 years (P = 0.16). However, in non-segmental vitiligo, we found no association between the duration of stability and risk of reactivation.
Conclusions:
Segmental vitiligo usually becomes inactive after the disease has been stable for 2 years. Non-segmental vitiligo is prone to reactivation even after prolonged periods of stability.
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