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. 2025 Jan 11;14(2):432.
doi: 10.3390/jcm14020432.

Comorbidities Associated with Vitiligo: Results from the EpiChron Cohort

Beatriz Clemente Hernández  1   2 , Itziar Muelas Rives  1   2 , Tamara Gracia Cazaña  1   2 , Marcial Álvarez Salafranca  1   2 , Beatriz Poblador-Plou  3   4 , Clara Laguna-Berna  3   4 , Aida Moreno Juste  3   4   5 , Antonio Gimeno-Miguel  3   4 , Yolanda Gilaberte  1   2
Affiliations

Comorbidities Associated with Vitiligo: Results from the EpiChron Cohort

Beatriz Clemente Hernández et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is a pigmentation disorder that impacts approximately 0.5% to 2% of the global population. Growing interest surrounds the comorbidities associated with vitiligo. This study aimed to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients with vitiligo in Aragón (Spain) and to investigate their associated comorbidities. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using clinical data from individuals in the EpiChron Cohort (reference population of 1.3 million) who were diagnosed with vitiligo between 1 January and 31 December 2019. The prevalence of chronic comorbidities was calculated using logistic regression models, obtaining the odds ratio (OR) of each comorbidity (dependent variable) according to the presence or absence of vitiligo (independent variable). We used a cut-off point for a statistical significance of p-value < 0.05. Results: In total, 218 patients diagnosed with vitiligo were analyzed. The mean age was 44.0 years, and 56.42% were female. The largest proportion of patients (34.86%) were aged between 18 and 44 years. Among all vitiligo patients included, 71.5% presented multimorbidity, with an average of 3.21 diagnosed comorbidities. The conditions most frequently associated with vitiligo included thyroid disorders (OR: 3.01, p < 0.001), ocular and hearing abnormalities (OR: 1.54, p < 0.020), inflammatory skin disorders (OR: 2.21, p < 0.001), connective tissue diseases (OR: 1.84, p < 0.007), lower respiratory tract diseases (OR: 1.78, p < 0.014), urinary tract infections (OR: 1.69, p < 0.032), and cardiac arrhythmias (OR 1.84, p < 0.034). Conclusions: This research highlights the importance of understanding the broader health implications of vitiligo and provides a foundation for further exploration into the complex interplay between this dermatologic condition and a diverse range of comorbidities.

Keywords: autoimmune diseases; comorbidities; epidemiology; multimorbidity; population-based cohort; vitiligo.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age distribution of vitiligo patients.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of multimorbidity among vitiligo patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence of main comorbidities in vitiligo patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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