Vitiligo associated with autoimmune adrenal insufficiency

Vitiligo associated with autoimmune adrenal insufficiency

V.A. Petrov¹, O.V. Zhukova^1,2, V.A. Volnukhin¹, E.A. Troshina³, M.Yu. Yukina³, N.F. Nuralieva³, N.V. Frigo¹, M.A. Kochetkov¹ 

¹Moscow Scientific and Practical Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology, Moscow

²RUDN University, Moscow

³Endocrinology Research Center, Moscow 

Vitiligo is a polygenic multifactorial disease characterized by foci of skin depigmentation as a result of autoimmune damage to melanocytes. A number of foreign studies have established a more common association of vitiligo with other endocrine autoimmune disorders, including autoimmune adrenal insufficiency (AAI), than in the general population. This issue is not sufficiently covered in the domestic literature. This paper addresses the authors’ findings on the AAI rate in patients with vitiligo aged 3–71 years who were examined to identify autoimmune endocrine diseases. AAI was established in 3 patients (4.9%) with non-segmental vitiligo. The authors describe a 32-year-old woman with vitiligo associated with AAI characterized by the presence of both depigmented and hyperpigmented skin lesions. Dermatovenerologists should consider the potential association of vitiligo and AAI for timely examinations to detect early comorbidities.

Keywords: vitiligo, autoimmune adrenal insufficiency, Addison’s disease, associations, autoimmune polyglandular syndrome.

For citation: Petrov V.A., Zhukova O.V., Volnukhin V.A., Troshina E.A., Yukina M.Yu., Nuralieva N.F., Frigo N.V., Kochetkov M.A. Vitiligo associated with autoimmune adrenal insufficiency. RMJ. 2023;10:39–42.