Shahrzad Aghaeii
1, Masoud Amiri
2, Maryam Aghaei
3*, Mohammad Ali Nilforoushzadeh
41 Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
2 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
3 Skin Diseases and Leishmaniasis Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
4 Skin and Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background and aims: Vitiligo is an acquired, idiopathic, and common depigmentation disorder of the
skin that affects people of all ages and both sexes equally worldwide. Although etiology of the disease
is unknown, there are theories such as environment and genetic factors.
Methods: In this article, we collected and summarized the appropriate manuscripts regarding the
epidemiology and genetics using the terms vitiligo and genetic epidemiology in PubMed and Google
Scholar.
Results: Studies showed the highest prevalence of disease in African countries, but with regard to the
distribution of disease in different areas, environmental factors were as important as other causes of
vitiligo, and 3 genes of FOXP3, XBP1 and TSLP had the most association with the disease.
Conclusion: It seems that recognition of the genetic basis of vitiligo will supply new insight into the
therapies for it. Therefore, more genetic studies are needed to discover the genes and causes linked to
clinical aspects of this disease.