Vitiligo and Associated Psychological Comorbidities: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Analysis in an Urban Population

Abstract

Abstract Vitiligo is a chronic disorder of depigmentation, which can have profound psychological effects on affected individuals. The primary objective of this study was to identify the association between vitiligo and psychological comorbidities. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional chart review study of patients seen over a ten-year period (2009-2019) at a private and public hospital in Los Angeles. There were 2,638 patients with vitiligo included. Both depression and anxiety were significantly higher in the public hospital population (8.1% and 6.4%, respectively) than in the private population (3.0% and 2.7%, respectively) (p<0.0001 and p=0.0001, respectively). The percentage of vitiligo patients with depression and anxiety in the public hospital population was significantly higher than the general US population (p=0.038 and p<0.0001, respectively). When stratifying for race/ethnicity, rates of depression and anxiety were significantly increased in non-White patients compared to White patients in both hospital settings. These results suggest that both SES and race/ethnicity can have a significant impact on psychological comorbidity in vitiligo patients. Dermatologists and other clinicians should be screening for psychological comorbidity in all patients with a diagnosis of vitiligo, especially those with lower SES or of minority racial/ethnic backgrounds, in order to help ensure holistic and equitable care.