Vitiligo is a primary, limited or pervasive depigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes. The prevalence is relatively high in the population, with an estimated 1% to 2 of the population suffering from vitiligo. The age ranges from infancy to old age. There are various factors that contribute to the etiology of vitiligo, and clinically you can see a family gathering of vitiligo patients. There are three consecutive generations, or father and children, mother and children all have the disease. It is also possible to see monozygotic twins in which both of them develop vitiligo. This situation indicates that vitiligo is inherited in families. The study of more than 800 cases of vitiligo patients showed that the positive rate of vitiligo family is 26%. Many studies have shown that the inheritance of vitiligo is not transmitted according to the autosomal single locus gene pattern, and now studies can see that the vitiligo phenotype is controlled by recessive genes at three or four loci on the autosomes. And vitiligo patients have defective melanocytes that undergo aberrations such as breakage and monosomal fractures.
Vitiligo is also associated with human leukocyte antigens. The prevalence is higher in dark-skinned blacks than in light-skinned yellows and caucasians. The correlation between vitiligo and human leukocyte antigens varies according to ethnicity, geographic origin, age of onset, genetic background, type of vitiligo, and severity of the disease.