Vitiligo in children

Kakourou T

World J Pediatr 2009;5(4):265-268. doi:10.1007/s12519-009-0050-1

Nearly seventy-six million people worldwide are affected by the acquired depigmentary disorder, vitiligo, with approximately half of those patients being diagnosed before reaching age 20, and an additional 25% being diagnosed before age 14, making this a fairly young condition. “Narrowband UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy is considered as a safe and effective therapeutic option in the treatment of vitiligo in children.” Multiple studies have supported childhood exposure to NB-UVB treatments with results proving greater than 75% repigmentation of the vitiliginous skin.