Proportion Of vitiligo and associated factors among patients visiting dermatology opd in tibebe ghion specialized hospital and addisalem primary hospital, bahirdar city, Ethiopia,2023

BMC Research Notes kibret et al. BMC Research Notes (2024) 17:274 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-024-06938-x Open Access R E S E A R C H N OT E Proportion Of vitiligo and associated factors among patients visiting dermatology opd in tibebe ghion specialized hospital and addisalem primary hospital, bahirdar city, Ethiopia,2023 Girum kibret1*, Abel Teklit Haile2, Yared abebe2, Eleni admassu2 and Robel Gemechu Haile2 Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitiligo and associated factors among patients visiting the dermatologic outpatient departments at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital and Addisalem Primary Hospitals, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, from September 15 to November 15, 2023. Results Among the 460 patients studied, 243 (52.8%) were female, with the majority (28.9%) aged between 25 and 34 years. The overall prevalence of vitiligo was found to be 7.4% (34 patients). Significant predictors of vitiligo included rural residence (AOR: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.10–9.18), family history of vitiligo (AOR: 2.20; 95% CI: 2.16–4.76), and aggravating factors such as trauma (AOR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.01–2.08). The highest prevalence was observed in the 14–24 age group. These findings suggest the importance of awareness campaigns focusing on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of vitiligo, particularly among young adults in rural areas. Keywords Chronic, Disease, Ethiopia, Bahr dar, Skin, Vitiligo Background White spots, that are caused by a selective loss of melanocytes. Keratinocyte-produced cytokines are partially responsible for the survival and functionality of melanocytes in this intimate interaction. The loss of a functional melanocytes is the source of vitiligo, which is an acquired pigmentary skin disorder characterized by white *Correspondence: Girum kibret 1 Departement of Dermatovenrology bahr Dar university, Bahr Dar, Ethiopia 2 Research department saint peter specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (depigmented) patches on the skin. It affects both sexes equally and can manifest at any age. It could also result in hair and eye lightening [1]. White spots appear on the skin due to this chronic illness, which mostly affects the hands and face. Rarely is it accompanied by bodily symptoms like itching. Although it can happen at any age, the disease usually first manifests in childhood or early adulthood, usually between the ages of 10 and 30 [2]. Vitiligo is disfiguring in all races but is particularly more pronounced in dark-skinned individuals due to the stark contrast between the affected and unaffected skin [3]. The pathogenesis of vitiligo is multifactorial and not fully understood, potentially involving mechanisms such © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. kibret et al. BMC Research Notes (2024) 17:274 as autoimmunity, intrinsic defects in melanocytes, and oxidative stress [4]. The autoimmune responses that lead to vitiligo may be initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), generated by various factors, indicating a disruption in melanocyte redox balance and weakened antioxidant defenses. This oxidative stress causes melanocytes to produce autoantigens or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which activate both innate and adaptive immune responses. Consequently, this inflammatory cascade results in melanocyte dysfunction and eventual cell death [4]. The development of the disease may be influenced by infectious organisms, Koebner’s phenomenon (KP), psychological factors such as stress and personality traits, and environmental factors. Koebner’s phenomenon, or the “isomorphic response of Koebner,” refers to the appearance of new lesions of a skin condition at sites of mechanical trauma. The incidence of KP ranges between 21% and 64% and has been reported to be associated with vitiligo [5]. Vitiligo has been reported in association with various endocrinopathies and other autoimmune disorders [6]. Vitiligo’s disfigurement significantly impacts the patient’s psychological well-being. Depending on its extent and distribution, vitiligo is classified as either localized or generalized. Generalized vitiligo is characterized by symmetrical depigmented patches across the body. A less common form is segmental vitiligo, which presents as asymmetrical, focal, or dermatomal depigmented patches or macules [7]. Current treatments for vitiligo are challenging, expensive, and often produce unsatisfactory outcomes. The disease typically progresses slowly, with the rate of progression varying based on the patient’s skin condition and triggering factors like stress levels [7]. The highest reported global prevalence of vitiligo is 8.8%, as observed in a single skin institute in Delhi, India [8]. According to a study done in the USA, 1.38% of participants self-reported having vitiligo [9]. Furthermore, it occurs infrequently in Asian countries, especially in Korea. Between 2009 and 2011, the yearly incidence of vitiligo was approximately 0.13% [10], and 0.19% of people in China had vitiligo [11]. In our continent Africa, the prevalence is low with ranges of 0.9% in Benin [5] to 13.15% in Ethiopia [12] respectively. The pooled prevalence from 82 population- or community-based studies was 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1–0.2%), while the prevalence from 22 hospital-based studies was 1.8% (95% CI: 1.4–2.1%), according to a 2016 meta-analysis evaluating the prevalence of vitiligo across 103 studies carried out in different nations [13]. Brazil and Korea had a minor female predominance with M: F of 1:1.38 [14] and 1:1.31 [10] respectively. Another element linked to vitiligo is family history. According to an Egyptian study, vitiligo ran in Page 2 of 7 the family for 32.27% of children, 7.32% of teenagers, and 5.71% of adults [15]. Comparably, a study conducted in Nigeria found little female predominance with a male-tofemale ratio was 1:1.3 [16]. Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitiligo, and factors associated among patients visiting the dermatologic outpat (...truncated)