Hepatitis C virus infection could be a risk factor for adult-onset vitiligo in Egyptian patients: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a common skin disorder resulting from the destruction of melanocytes. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been linked to a variety of extrahepatic manifestations, including skin diseases.

AIM: To measure the prevalence of HCV-seroreactivity among vitiligo patients.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 108 vitiligo patients. Serum anti-HCV antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence immunoassay.

RESULTS: Eighteen patients (16.7%) out of 108 were HCV-reactive; all of them had adult-onset vitiligo. They represented approximately 34.6% of the total patients with adult-onset vitiligo (52 patients). On the contrary, all patients with childhood-onset vitiligo were HCV-non-reactive. Moreover, adult-onset vitiligo was significantly associated with HCV-seroreactivity (p < .001). Also, there was a significant difference between HCV-reactive and HCV-non-reactive vitiligo patients regarding the age of patients and their ages at the onset of vitiligo (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: HCV may be the triggering factor for adult-onset vitiligo, particularly in regions with a high prevalence of HCV. Therefore, patients with adult-onset vitiligo, rather than childhood-onset disease, should be screened for associated HCV infection in HCV-endemic regions.