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Prevalence of vitiligo in East Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis
Kedir Seid1, Chala Getaneh Jaleta2, Sintayehu Samuel Lorato3
1Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Bati Primary Hospital, Oromia Special Zone, Bati, Ethiopia.
Background:
Vitiligo is a chronic skin disorder characterized by the loss of melanocytes, resulting in depigmented macules and patches. No accurate estimate has been made of the prevalence of vitiligo in East Africa.
Objectives:
To determine the prevalence of vitiligo in East Africa via a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.
Methods:
A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Eleven articles were retrieved from PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Science and African Journals Online. Microsoft Excel was used to extract the data, which were then exported to STATA 17 for analysis using a random effects model. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed by Cochran's Q test and I 2 statistics. Publication bias was detected with a funnel plot and the Egger test.
Results:
The 11 studies retrieved from the literature search provided a total sample size of 8444 individuals reported between 2000 and 2025. The overall pooled prevalence of vitiligo was 6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3-8], while the prevalence among male and female individuals was 54% (95% CI 19-73) and 46% (95% CI 3-61), respectively. The prevalence in children was 3% (95% CI 2-5), 9% (95% CI 7-12) in adults and 7% (95% CI 2-11) in the general population. The models showed that the prevalence of vitiligo in Tanzania was 1% (95% CI 0-3), while the pooled prevalence of vitiligo in Ethiopia was 8% (95% CI 5-11).
Conclusions:
In East Africa, the combined prevalence of vitiligo was relatively high. The increased prevalence of vitiligo highlights the need for health policymakers to pay attention to vitiligo.
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