Early-onset childhood vitiligo is associated with a more extensive and progressive course

Vitiligo commonly presents in children, with half of all cases developing before 20 years of age. Although studies have characterized differences between pediatric and adult vitiligo, little is known about vitiligo presenting in early childhood. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical features of early-onset (<3 years old) and later-onset (3-18 years old) childhood vitiligo.

This retrospective case series examined patients given a diagnosis of vitiligo in a pediatric dermatology practice at an academic medical center from 1990 to 2014. Characteristics of the early- and later-onset groups were compared by χ(2) and t test for categorical and continuous variables, respectively.

Of the 208 children in the study, 31 had early-onset and 177 had later-onset disease. Early-onset vitiligo was associated with higher percentages of body surface area involvement and increased rates of disease progression during an average 1.9 years of follow-up. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in repigmentation, vitiligo type, halo nevi, gender ratio, or personal and family history of autoimmune diseases.

This was a retrospective, single-institution study.

Patients given a diagnosis of vitiligo at younger ages tend to have more extensive and progressive disease.