Association of Vitiligo with Thyroid Dysfunction and Thyroid Autoimmunity: A Case-Control Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-3.13124Keywords:
Anti-TPO Antibodies, Subclinical Thyroid Disease, Thyroid Autoimmunity, VitiligoAbstract
Objective: To assess the association of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity with vitiligo.
Study design: A case-control study.
Place and Duration of Study: Outpatient of Dermatology Department of a tertiary referral hospital Bahawalpur, Pakistan, from Jan to Dec 2023.
Methodology: A total of 207 vitiligo patients (Group-A) and 207 controls (Group-B) of similar age and gender were enrolled. Pregnant females, patients already getting any form of treatment for vitiligo and those with any diagnosed autoimmune disease were excluded. The onset age, sites involved by the disease and associated diseases were noted. Thyroid profile and anti- thyroid peroxidase antibodies were tested in all patients and controls. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Out of 207 patients, 117(56.521%) were male patients and 90(43.478%) were female. Mean onset age was 27.320±10.467 years and mean disease duration was 4.700+5.996 years. Generalized vitiligo was the most common type found in 120 (57.971%) patients. Sixty-eight (32.850%) patients had a positive family history and associated diseases were found in 25 (12.077%) patients. Thyroid dysfunction manifested by deranged Thyroid Hormone Levels was found in 20 (9.662 %) patients and 4 (1.932%) controls (p=0.001). Level of Anti-TPO Antibodies was raised in 17 (8.212 %) patients and in 3 (1.449%) controls (p=0.001).
Conclusion: Vitiligo is significantly associated with thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity.
Downloads
References
1. Khiangte L, Lalrindik C. Study of thyroid disorders in vitiligo. J Fam Med Prim Care 2023; 12(4): 619-624.
https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_344_22
2. Ahmed N, Masood S. Vitiligo. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 [cited 2025 Feb 5]. Available from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559149/
3. Hu Z, Wang T. Beyond skin white spots: Vitiligo and associated comorbidities. Front Med 2023; 10(1): 1072837.
http://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1072837
4. Gill L, Zarbo A, Isedeh P, Jacobsen G, Lim HW, Hamzavi I. Comorbid autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo: A cross-sectional study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2016; 74(2): 295-302.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2015.08.063
5. Chivu AM, Bălășescu E, Pandia LD, Nedelcu RI, Brînzea A, Turcu G, et al. Vitiligo-Thyroid Disease Association: When, in Whom, and Why Should It Be Suspected? A Systematic Review. J Pers Med 2022; 12(12): 2048.
http://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12122048
6. Laberge G, Mailloux CM, Gowan K, Holland P, Bennett DC, Fain PR, et al. Early disease onset and increased risk of other autoimmune diseases in familial generalized vitiligo. Pigment Cell Res 2005; 18(4): 300-305.
http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0749.2005.00242.x
7. Vrijman C, Kroon MW, Limpens J, Leeflang MM, Luiten RM, van der Veen JP, et al. The prevalence of thyroid disease in patients with vitiligo: a systematic review. Br J Dermatol 2012; 167(6): 1224-1235.
http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2012.11198.x
8. Li YR, Chang TA, Wang JH, Chen LY, Lu JW, Loh CH, et al. Risk of thyroid cancer among patients with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatol Sin 2023; 41(4): 206-213.
https://doi.org/10.4103/ds.DS-D-23-00089
9. Motamed B, Kamkar N, Alizadeh N, Rafiei R, Eftekhari H. The prevalence of vitiligo among patients with thyroid diseases. J Dermatol Nurse Assoc 2025; 17(2): 51-55.
https://doi.org/10.1097/JDN.0000000000000831
10. Ma Z, Cao P, Cai M, Lin Q, Long X, Ge M, et al. Characteristics of vitiligo patients with versus without associated autoimmune thyroid disease. Int J Dermatol 2024; 63(4): 491-496.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.16951
11. MedlinePlus [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); c2025. Lab tests: What you need to know [cited 2025 Sep 18]. Available from:
https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests-what-you-need-to know.html
12. Manoj R, Singh S, Kothari R, Gupta A. Vitiligo. J Am Acad Dermatol 2024; 90(5): 1106-1114.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2023.12.040
13. Xerfan EM, Andersen ML, Tufik S, Tomimori J, Facina AD. Analysis of vitamin D metabolism, thyroid and autoimmune markers in the vitiligo pathways and their possible interaction with sleep. Arch Dermatol Res 2024; 316(10): 737.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-024-03443-w
14. Yang Y, Huang G, Yan X, Qing Z. Clinical Analysis of Thyroglobulin Antibody and Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody and their Association with Vitiligo. Indian J Dermatol 2014; 59(4): 357-360.
http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5154.135485
15. Ma Z, Cai M, Yang K, Liu J, Guo T, Liu X, et al. Predicting the risk of autoimmune thyroid disease in patients with vitiligo: development and assessment of a new predictive nomogram. Front Endocrinol 2023; 14: 1109925.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1109925
16. Niaz F, Shams N, Meraj L, Ahmed S, Ahmed N, Niaz IS, et al. Skin changes in newly diagnosed cases of hypothyroidism. J Rawalpindi Med Coll 2022; 26(1).
https://doi.org/10.37939/jrmc.v26i1.1762
17. Patil A, Samant P, Someshwar S. Thyroid Dysfunction in Vitiligo Patients: Correlation with Disease Progression and Psychological Disturbances. J Datta Meghe Inst Med Sci Univ 2026; 21(1): 76-83.
https://doi.org/10.4103/jdmimsu.jdmimsu_614_25
18. Gaber MA, Elnajjar M, Wafa A. Study of Thyroid Dysfunction in Vitiligo Patients. Egypt J Hosp Med 2025; 100(1): 3225.
https://doi.org/10.21608/ejhm.2025.443484
19. Kasumagic-Halilovic E, Prohic A, Begovic B, Ovcina-Kurtovic N. Association between Vitiligo and Thyroid Autoimmunity. J Thyroid Res 2011; 2011: 938257.
http://doi.org/10.4061/2011/938257
20. Nihalani S, Jain R, Sahu P. Prevalence of thyroid disorders in vitiligo patients. Int J Acad Med Pharm 2023; 5(5): 522-524.
https://doi.org/10.47009/jamp.2023.5.5.102
21. Sedighe M, Gholamhossein G. Thyroid dysfunction and thyroid antibodies in Iranian patients with vitiligo. Indian J Dermatol 2008; 53(1): 9-11. http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5154.39733
22. Hasan MR, Ali Ahmad GK, Ahmed MR, Rahman MT, Nahid A, Islam S, et al. Clinico-epidemiological characteristics of patients with vitiligo in Bangladesh. JAAD Int 2023; 13: 1-3.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdin.2023.06.012
23. Jiang S, Wang J, Zhao X, Wang C, Li S. Analysis of Risk Factors and Establishment of a Nomogram Prediction Model for Vitiligo Complicated with Autoimmune Thyroid Disease. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2025.
https://doi.org/10.1159/000548965
24. AlJasser MI. Vitiligo: Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics in 573 Saudi Patients. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2024; 17: 2887-2899. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S499794
25. Ashawesh M, Hareshe A, Alamori N. Association of vitiligo with ABO/Rh system and its influence on thyroid stimulating hormone and vitamin D. AlQalam J Med App Sci 2024; 7(2): 270-277. https://doi.org/10.54361/ajmas.2472011%20
Downloads
Published
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aamir Habib, Sohail Shaheen, Nida Arif

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.





