Question

Is vitiligo an autoimmune disease?

Answer 1

A syndrome in which the immune system wrongly targets the body is an autoimmune disease. The immune system usually distinguishes between foreign cells and our own cells. In an autoimmune disease, the immune system gets confused between the foreign cells and their own cells.

Complete Answer:
Vitiligo is a disease caused due to the loss of skin color. This discolored area usually gets brighter and whiter than normal skin. Usually, vitiligo begins to develop from the sun-exposed area of the skin like the arm, face, feet. etc.
It affects the hair and inside of the mouth. Vitiligo is also called leukoderma. About only 1% of the global population is affected by vitiligo disease. Vitiligo usually happens before the age of 30 years.
Vitiligo is mainly due to the lack of melanin pigments in the skin. The substance which produces melanin in the skin is melanocytes; It gives color to the skin. The person who has vitiligo means they do not have working melanocytes in the skin to produce enough melanin pigments.
Sometimes, vitiligo transmits because of the inheritance pattern. Not all the white spots present in the skin are considered vitiligo. To diagnose vitiligo, a proper clinical examination has to be done for the patients.

Thus, Yes, Vitiligo is generally considered to be an autoimmune disorder. This disease is a long-term skin condition that causes patches of skin to appear. The loss of pigments in the skin cells is the most common cause of vitiligo, an autoimmune disease.

Note:
Vitiligo means milk-white irregular oval patches on the skin. These patches will be small during its initial days but it begins to enlarge eventually within a month. Vitiligo patches are roughly symmetrical. Vitiligo disease can mostly be spotted on the wrist, neck, face, wrists, and upper trunk. The hair growing in the depigmented area is also in white color.