PREVALENCE OF VITILIGO IN KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA (CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY)

Background:Vitiligo is acquired condition of skin and hair depigmentation that characterized by the appearance of pale macules or hypochromic pigment. Vitiligo is not a life-threatening situation however it affects patients health-related quality of life and psychological well-being. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to prevalence of vitiligo in Saudi population besides, Most common place of first spot of vitiligo, and the relationship between some medical conditions and vitiligo. Methodology: This is an analytical cross-sectional study conducted in kingdom of Saudi Arabia (General population and vitiligo patient) from 04/08/2020 till 22/11/2020. The study was depending on using of online questionnaire assessing demographic factors including age and nationality besides disease-related information: Heart disease, Smoker patient, related risk factors of disease and DM patient. Results: We had received 875 responses of our questionnaire, where the prevalence of vitiligo was 3.5 % where 51.6 % of them were male. Moreover, 51.6 % of them were below 25 years old, 19.4 % were between 25 – 30 years old and 12.9 % were between 31 – 35 years old. Furthermore, most of them were Saudi Arabian (93.5 %).Moreover, most of patients indicated that they were patients with vitiligo for more than 5 years (61.3 %) while the first spot of vitiligo was above eyes (22.6 %), hands (19.4 %), Armpits (12.9 %) and knee (12.9 %) Conclusion:We had found that the prevalence of vitiligo in Saudi Arabia was high than reported by other studies where male are slightly more affected by the diseases and those of younger age. Face and hand are the most common spots of vitiligo. Moreover, smoking, diabetes mellitus and thyroid disorders may have effect in increased incidence of vitiligo.