What is the cause of vitiligo?
The precise cause of Vitiligo is not known. A combination of genetic, immunologic and neurogenic factors is of major importance in most cases. Many people report pigment loss shortly after a severe sunburn. Others relate the onset of Vitiligo to emotional trauma associated with an accident, death in the family, divorce, etc. Early graying of hair is part of Vitiligo. Patients with Vitiligo appear to have normal pigment cells. An increase in something such as nitric oxide, may be toxic for pigment cells or there may be a lack of growth factors that are required for normal pigment cells to be viable.
Vitiligo is the result of the damage or death of the skins melanocytes. There are different theories about the cause of vitiligo: (1) The bodys immune system may destroy melanocytes. Pigment may be destroyed as the body responds to a substance it perceives as foreign (the most accepted theory). (2) There is genetic defect that makes the melanocytes susceptible to injury. (3) Abnormally functioning nerve cells may produce toxic substances that injure melanocytes (4) Melanocytes self-destruction. While pigment is forming, toxic byproducts could be produced injuring and destroying melanocytes. Researchers believe that a combination of these theories may provide the best explanation.
