Segmental vitiligo associated with generalized vitiligo (mixed vitiligo): a retrospective case series of 19 patients

Abstract

Background: Mixed vitiligo (MV), the association of segmental vitiligo (SV) and nonsegmental vitiligo, has been rarely reported.

Objective: The aim of this study was to delineate the clinical spectrum of MV through a case series of patients with typical SV associated with patchy bilateral vitiligo.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional evaluation in the setting of a prospective observational study conducted in the vitiligo clinic of the department of dermatology in Bordeaux, France.

Results: Nineteen patients with MV were identified. Four were male and 15 were female. Most patients had an onset of SV before the age of 18 years (18 of 19). In all patients, SV preceded nonsegmental vitiligo with a delay ranging from 6 months to more than 24 months.

Limitations: This study was cross-sectional and based on a single-center experience.

Conclusion: MV is not yet part of a conventional classification. However, this entity may have been neglected until now and should be included in the classification of vitiligo in addition to SV and nonsegmental vitiligo. Moreover, MV may be essential to the understanding of the pathogenesis of vitiligo as a primary skin disorder.