A Multicenter Collaborative Study by the Korean Society of Vitiligo about Patients' Occupations and the Provoking Factors of Vitiligo.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It was previously thought that persons with genetic predispositions

to vitiligo develop the condition after exposure to various precipitating

environmental factors. However, in many cases, the aggravating factors of

vitiligo have not been clearly identified. OBJECTIVE: To identify the aggravating

factors of vitiligo in the working environment and daily life. METHODS: A total

of 489 vitiligo patients were recruited from 10 institutions in South Korea;

patients were provided with a questionnaire about environmental factors and

behavior patterns in the workplace and in daily life, and their association with

vitiligo. RESULTS: Ninety-five of the 470 enrolled patients (20.2%) answered that

environmental risk factors in daily life and in the workplace affected the

development of vitiligo. The most frequently attributed causes were trauma and

burn (13.6%), followed by sunlight (12.8%), stress (12.8%), cleaning

products/disinfectant/chemicals (4.9%), and hair dye (2.1%). CONCLUSION: Vitiligo

of the hand and foot was associated with frequent exposure to aggravating

materials and overexposure to sunlight, along with frequent trauma of these

areas, all of which could be considered important risk factors of vitiligo. The

development of vitiligo could potentially be controlled through the early

detection of aggravating factors.