Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 21;13(1):94.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens13010094.

The Assessment of Infection Risk in Patients with Vitiligo Undergoing Dialysis for End-Stage Renal Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Pearl Shah  1 , Mitchell Hanson  1 , Jennifer L Waller  2 , Sarah Tran  1 , Stephanie L Baer  1   3 , Varsha Taskar  1 , Wendy B Bollag  1   3   4   5
Affiliations

The Assessment of Infection Risk in Patients with Vitiligo Undergoing Dialysis for End-Stage Renal Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Pearl Shah et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that causes patchy skin depigmentation. Although the mechanism by which vitiligo induces immunocompromise is unclear, other related autoimmune diseases are known to predispose those affected to infection. Individuals with vitiligo exhibit epidermal barrier disruption, which could potentially increase their susceptibility to systemic infections; patients with renal disease also show a predisposition to infection. Nevertheless, there is little research addressing the risk of infection in dialysis patients with vitiligo in comparison to those without it. A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States Renal Data System who started dialysis between 2004 and 2019 to determine if ESRD patients with vitiligo are at an increased risk of bacteremia, cellulitis, conjunctivitis, herpes zoster, or septicemia. Multivariable logistic regression modeling indicated that female sex, black compared to white race, Hispanic ethnicity, hepatitis C infection, and tobacco use were associated with an enhanced risk of vitiligo, whereas increasing age and catheter, versus arteriovenous fistula, and access type were associated with a decreased risk. After controlling for demographics and clinical covariates, vitiligo was found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of bacteremia, cellulitis, and herpes zoster but not with conjunctivitis and septicemia.

Keywords: ESRD; bacteremia; cellulitis; conjunctivitis; herpes zoster; septicemia; vitiligo.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Gandhi K., Ezzedine K., Anastassopoulos K.P., Patel R., Sikirica V., Daniel S.R., Napatalung L., Yamaguchi Y., Baik R., Pandya A.G. Prevalence of Vitiligo among Adults in the United States. JAMA Dermatol. 2022;158:43–50. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2021.4724. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gholijani N., Yazdani M.-R., Dastgheib L. Predominant role of innate pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitiligo disease. Arch. Dermatol. Res. 2020;312:123–131. doi: 10.1007/s00403-019-01996-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boorn J.G.v.D., Konijnenberg D., Dellemijn T.A., van der Veen J.W., Bos J.D., Melief C.J., Vyth-Dreese F.A., Luiten R.M. Autoimmune Destruction of Skin Melanocytes by Perilesional T Cells from Vitiligo Patients. J. Investig. Dermatol. 2009;129:2220–2232. doi: 10.1038/jid.2009.32. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marchioro H.Z., de Castro C.C.S., Fava V.M., Sakiyama P.H., Dellatorre G., Miot H.A. Update on the pathogenesis of vitiligo. An. Bras. Dermatol. 2022;97:478–490. doi: 10.1016/j.abd.2021.09.008. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bae J., Lee S., Kim T., Yeom S., Shin J., Lee W., Lee M., Lee A., Kim K., Kim M., et al. Factors affecting quality of life in patients with vitiligo: A nationwide study. Br. J. Dermatol. 2018;178:238–244. doi: 10.1111/bjd.15560. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms