Prepubertal and postpubertal vitiligo: a multivariate comparative study in 375 patients

BACKGROUND: The onset of vitiligo during childhood is common. Limited data exist that compare the clinical associations of prepubertal and postpubertal vitiligo in Arabs. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical profile of pre and postpubertal onset vitiligo. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted. The Vitiligo European Task Force questionnaire was completed for each patient. RESULTS: A total of 375 patients were included; 199 had postpubertal vitiligo (>12 years), and 176 had prepubertal onset vitiligo (<12years). There were more females in the prepubertal group (49%) than in the postpubertal group (29%), p-value <0.001. The prepubertal group has had more involvement than the postpubertal group (45% vs 30%, p=0.004). Only 8 cases of segmental vitiligo were observed; five were observed in the prepubertal group of patients. Female gender (OR=2.3; 95% CI:1.5, 3.5), presence of halo nevus (OR=2.2; 95% CI:1.1, 4.4) and face involvement (OR=1.9; 95% CI:1.2, 2.9) were positively associated with prepubertal vitiligo. Stress, as an onset factor, was positively associated (OR=0.51; 95% CI:0.3, 0.8) with postpubertal onset vitiligo. STUDY LIMITATIONS: A possible selection bias toward more severe vitiligo cases can be a limitation, because the study was conducted in a clinic specialized in vitiligo. Moreover, a likelihood of false recall bias cannot be excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Our data present clinical evidence that vitiligo behaves mostly the same way in the prepubertal group as in the postpubertal group. However, female over-representation, more face involvement and more halo nevi were observed in prepubertal vitiligo, while stress was more prevalent as an aggravating factor in postpubertal vitiligo patients.