Some studies have shown a correlation between vitiligo and multiple sclerosis.
Vitiligo is a multifactorial autoimmune disease, this implies that other autoimmune diseases share a common etiopathogenesis (the analysis of the process of onset of a disease and its development).
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, on the other hand, is an inflammatory disease that is mainly confined to the central nervous system.
The clinical features of multiple sclerosis include:
- ophthalmoplegia
- trigeminal neuralgia
- weakness of the limbs
- sensory and cognitive deficit
The causes of multiple sclerosis are not yet fully understood, it can be said that it can involve:
- inflammation of B and T cells
- oxidative stress
- cerebrospinal venous insufficiency
- neurodegenaration
Potential environmental factors associated with multiple sclerosis are:
- smoke
- vitamin D deficiency
- reduced exposure to sunlight
Vitamin D plays a role in immune regulation and gene expression.
Sunlight, the main source of vitamin D, has been identified as an inverse association between exposure to sunlight and the incidence of multiple sclerosis.
Vitamin D also plays an important role in the development of secondary autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo.
What is the correlation between vitiligo and multiple sclerosis?
Patients with autoimmune inflammatory disorders run the risk of having more than one type of autoimmune disease.
The most common autoimmune comorbidities in people with multiple sclerosis are:
- psoriasis
- thyroid disease
Vitiligo, on the other hand, has been associated with:
- diabetes melito
- thyroid disease
- alopecia areata
- pernicious anemia
Multiple sclerosis can share genetic, environmental and genetic factors with vitiligo.
Studies carried out by scientists on the Greek population have found a significant correlation between multiple sclerosis and vitiligo.
It has been shown that individuals carrying the HLA-DRB1 gene may have a higher risk of developing both multiple sclerosis and vitiligo.
This gene is more common in multiple sclerosis patients than in healthy patients.
In Greece, the HLA-DRB1 gene was observed to be significantly more common in MS patients than in healthy controls
