A Case of Vitiligo after Kawasaki's Disease

Abstract

Vitiligo is a common skin disease, but its pathogenesis has not been fully determined, though an autoimmune etiology is considered likely. Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute multisystem vasculitis of childhood associated with coronary arteriopathy, and is diagnosed based on clinical criteria. Furthermore, vitiligo has been associated with several other diseases, but no report has been issued about the relationship between vitiligo and Kawasaki's disease. The author's report the case of an 8-year-old male child that presented with depigmented lesions, which developed from the desquamative skin lesions of Kawasaki's disease.

Keywords: Kawasaki's disease; Vitiligo.

Fig. 1

Characteristic erythematous, desquamative maculopatches on the fingertips (A) and perianal skin (B) on Feb. 10, 2007, when he was admitted to our hospital.

Fig. 2

At four months after KD onset, depigmented maculopatches were noted on the dorsa of both hands (A), forearms, and buttocks (B). Previously, these sites had been affected by typical KD skin rashes.

Fig. 3

Histological examinations of a hypopigmented patch revealed the absence of epidermal melanocytes, which was confirmed by immunostaining for melan A (×200) (A). Perilesional areas showed normal epidermal melanocyte levels (×200) (B).