Evaluation of thyroid abnormalities in childhood vitiligo from a tertiary care centre: A case-control study

Abstract

Vitiligo is an usual acquired pigmentary disorder of the skin characterized by well-circumscribed depigmented macules and patches. Though the association between vitiligo and thyroid disorders has been suggested, only a few studies from India and overseas have paid attention to describe the association between vitiligo and thyroid abnormalities, particularly in children. Hence, this study was taken up for evaluating thyroid disease in childhood vitiligo compared to controls in a tertiary care centre.This was a hospital-based case-control study conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital over 18 months which included 50 new patients of vitiligo and 50 age and sex-matched controls. Blood samples were garnered from cases and controls to access the levels of free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), Thyroid-stimulating hormone ( TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO), and anti-thyroglobulin (anti –Tg).In our study, females outnumbered males in both groups. The frequencies of thyroid function and thyroid autoantibody abnormalities among vitiligo patients and control were 32% and 6%, respectively. The difference between case and controls for thyroid function abnormality was significant with a p-value of 0.001.Our study found a significant association betwixt thyroid disease and childhood vitiligo. Thus, evaluating vitiligo patients for thyroid abnormalities help to detect thyroid diseases or determine the possibility of eventual onset.