2021, Volume 14, Issue 2, pp 127 – 130

Vitiligo and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis

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Authors and Affiliations

* Corresponding Author: Mara Carsote, C.I.Parhon National Institute of Endocrinology, Aviatorilor Ave 34-38, 011683, Bucharest, Romania. E-mail: carsote_m@hotmail.com

Abstract

Vitiligo, the discoloration of the skin, has different autoimmune mechanisms reflected by many biomarkers as shown by skin histology, staining for CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes, chemokine ligand 9 or circulating cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1 beta, interferon (IFN)-gamma, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, antibodies, markers of oxidative stress, chemokines, and others. In this narrative review, we aim to overview vitiligo in relationship with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. Regarding vitiligo, more than 50 different genetic loci have been associated with this disease, and the heritability is high. There is a 20% risk of an environmental connection which may also act as a trigger; moreover, the association with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression is well recognized. The specific lesions display CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells as continuous key activators of melanocytes. The association with chronic thyroiditis is based on common autoimmune background and excessive reactive oxygen species that destroy melanocytes and thyrocytes (oxidative stress hypothesis) with thyroxine and melanin as target molecules, thus sharing a common origin: tyrosine. Moreover, common epigenetic anomalies or mutations of the Forkhead transcription factor D3 (FOXD3) have been described. Since vitiligo affects up to 1–2% of the population worldwide and 34% of patients have positive thyroid antibodies, apart from common autoimmunity background and oxidative stress toxicity, the association is clinically relevant for different practitioners.

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About this article

PMC ID: 8169145
PubMed ID: 34104234
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2019-0134

Article Publishing Date (print): Mar-Apr 2021
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


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