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Causes and risk factors of Vitiligo
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The reasons why melanocytes, melanin producing cells, do not function correctly or are destroyed are not precisely known, but the appearance of vitiligo is related to the following risk factors:
Genetic.
Autoimmune diseases, such as thyroiditis and type 1 diabetes.
Oxidative stress in the melanocyte: this increases oxidative activity within the cell, changing its structure and functionality, accelerating ageing and causing its death.
Release of inflammatory mediators: These activate the immune system excessively against damage and aggravate it, instead of repairing it.
Melanocyte degeneration for unknown reasons.
Stress. Vitiligo is triggered or worsens in some people 4-5 months after undergoing emotional stress.
However, not all risk factors lead to the development of vitiligo and none of these mechanisms alone is sufficient to explain the various features of the condition.
Thus, the impact of each of these factors is uncertain. However, there is consensus around the autoimmune nature of vitiligo which involves several possible mechanisms in the progressive loss of melanocytes, either by an immune attack or by the degeneration and detachment of these cells.
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Substantiated information by:
Paula Aguilera Peiro
Dermatologist
Dermatologist Department
Published: 19 November 2024
Updated: 19 November 2024
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