Generalized vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by melanocyte loss, which results in patchy depigmentation of skin and hair, and is associated with an elevated risk of other autoimmune diseases. It is a genetically complex disorder involving multiple susceptibility genes and unknown environmental triggers. Patients with generalized vitiligo have elevated frequencies of other autoimmune diseases, suggesting that these diseases involve shared genetic components (summary by Jin et al., 2010). Genetic Heterogeneity of Vitiligo-Associated Multiple Autoimmune Disease Susceptibility Additional forms of vitiligo-associated multiple autoimmune disease susceptibility have been mapped to chromosomes 1p31 (VAMAS2, 607836, associated with mutation in the FOXD3 gene, 611539), 7 (VAMAS3; 608391), 8 (VAMAS4; 608392), 4 (VAMAS5; 609400), and 6p21.3 (VAMAS6; 193200). [from OMIM]

Etiology

Prognosis

Clinical prediction guides