Comorbidities Associated with Vitiligo: Results from the EpiChron Cohort

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

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.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Carlos III Institute of Health, Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain), through the Network for Research on Chronicity, Primary Care, and Health Promotion (RICAPPS), awarded for the call for the creation of Health-Outcomes-Oriented Cooperative Research Networks (grant numbers RD21/0016/0019; RD24/0005/0013). This research was also funded by Gobierno de Aragon (grant numbers B01_23R and B59_23D) and the European Union’s Next Generation EU funds.