Vitiligo is a common skin disorder, and the pathogenesis is unknown. An increased prevalence of autoimmune thyroid diseases has been described in these patients. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and hypoparathyroidism in patients with vitiligo.
Materials and methods: One hundred and nine patients (38 males and 71 females with vitiligo were enrolled. Thyroid physical examination was carried out. Thyroid function tests, thyroid antibodies, calcium and phosphorus were assessed. The collected data were analysed by SPSS version 11.
Results: Thyromegaly was found in 30.1% of patients. Hypothyroidism was found in 16 (15.7%) out of 109 cases. Two of them had clinical and 14 had subclinical hypothyroidism. One patient had Grave's disease. Antibody positivity was the most common disorder (anti-TPO and anti-tg were positive in 36.7 and 32.1%, respectively). No patient had hypoparathyroidism.
Conclusion: According to our study, thyroid dysfunction, particularly hypothyroidism and thyroid antibodies increase in patients with vitiligo. We recommend thyroid antibodies assessment and thyroid function evaluation in these patients.
Keywords: Thyroid antibodies; thyroid dysfunction; vitiligo.