Prevalence of Impaired Hearing and Vision in Patients with Vitiligo

Abstract

Vitiligo is a common dermatosis occurring with a frequency of about 0.2-4.0% in world population. The main skin symptom of disease are white patches appearing as a result of destruction or dysfunction of pigment cells (melanocytes). Melanocytes are localized not only in epidermis and bulge region of hair follicle, but also in inner ear and eyeball structures, and therefore vitiligo may coexists with auditory and visual disorders. The most frequent auditory and visual disturbances occurring in vitiligo patients are discussed in this article.