Validation of Self-Reported Vitiligo Prevalence among Adults in the USA and Europe Using the 2024 National Health and...

Vitiligo is a chronic depigmenting autoimmune skin disease that may be associated with a significant quality-of-life burden and psychosocial comorbidities. Reliable and comparable prevalence rates are critical in building an evidentiary foundation for understanding the full landscape of vitiligo disparities. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of vitiligo among adults in the USA and in five European countries (5EU; France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK).

This study used data from the 2024 US and 5EU National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS), a population based, self-reported, syndicated cross-sectional survey of adults (age ≥ 18 years). Respondents were recruited from large internet panels and completed the survey online. Results were weighted to reflect demographic distributions of the general adult population in each country. Self-reported prevalences of ever experiencing vitiligo or having vitiligo diagnosed by a clinician and proportions of patients having had a healthcare provider visit in the last 6 months were reported.

Data from 75,013 participants in the USA and 62,022 in Europe were included. The prevalence of adults self-reporting that they ever experienced vitiligo was 2.3% in the USA and 2.0% in Europe (France, 1.7%; Germany, 2.0%; Italy, 2.3%; Spain, 2.2%; UK, 2.1%). The prevalence of adults self-reporting a clinical diagnosis of vitiligo was 0.77% in the USA and 0.76% in Europe (France, 0.73%; Germany, 0.73%; Italy, 0.85%; Spain, 0.89%; UK, 0.65%). The proportion of adults with clinically diagnosed vitiligo who self-reported a dermatologist visit in the past 6 months was 30.7% in the USA and 22.8% in Europe.

This study of adults in the USA and Europe, which used self-reported data collected from the 2024 NHWS, found that the prevalence of self-reported vitiligo was 1.7-2.3%, and the prevalence of self-reported clinically diagnosed vitiligo was 0.65-0.89%.