We present one of the largest PG case series to date. In our study, we found that biopsy of a PG lesion rarely yielded characteristic features of the disease and tissue pathology should not be used to exclude a PG diagnosis. We also found a female predominance and associations with IBD and haematological disorders. Patients with PG in this series had high rates of depression and hepatitis. Further work is needed to establish the mechanism(s) underlying these findings.

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TNF-α, a proinflammatory cytokine central to many autoimmune diseases, has been implicated in the depigmentation process in vitiligo. We reviewed its role in vitiligo by exploring its pro- and anti-inflammatory properties and examined the effects of blocking its actions with TNF-α antagonist therapeutics in reports available in the literature. We found that TNF-α inhibition halts disease progression in patients with progressive vitiligo but that, paradoxically, treatment can be associated with de novo vitiligo development in some patients when used to treat other autoimmune conditions, particularly when using adalimumab and infliximab. These studies reinforce the importance of stating appropriate outcomes measures as most pilot trials proposed to measure repigmentation, whereas halting depigmentation was commonly overlooked as a measure of success. We conclude that TNF inhibition was useful for patients with progressive vitiligo, where TNF-α inhibition is able to quash cytotoxic T cell-mediated melanocyte destruction. However, a lingering concern for initiating de novo disease will likely prevent a more widespread application of TNF inhibitors to treat vitiligo.