Vitiligo and Zinc Role of zinc in treatment of vitiligo

Vitiligo is the most prevalent pigmentary disorder which occurs worldwide, with an incidence rate between 0.1-4%. It commonly begins in childhood or young adulthood, with peak onset of 10 to 30 years. Vitiligo is a multifactorial disorder, related to both genetic and non-genetic factors. The etiology of vitiligo may differ among patients and is complex. It is anticipated that the discovery of biological pathways of vitiligo pathogenesis will provide novel therapeutic and prophylactic targets for future approaches to the treatment and prevention of vitiligo. The purposes of this study was assessing probable pathogenesis of vitiligo and evaluating the efficacy of supplemental zinc on the treatment of vitiligo. This specialty docterial thesis was crried out in the Dermatology Department related to JundiShapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. I hope that this work give dear readers invaluable and complete information about the vitiligo, zinc and probable role of zinc in treatment of vitiligo Dr. Nooshin Bagherani, Dermatologist April, 2012