What are the white spots on the child?

The biggest reason why children have white spots on their bodies is probably that they suffer from vitiligo, a common skin disease. There are many causes of vitiligo, and this skin disease has a profound impact on patients. Therefore, patients need to find out the causes in time and carry out targeted treatment. Below, we will give you a detailed introduction to the relevant knowledge about vitiligo, a skin disease.

1. Genetic theory

Vitiligo can occur in twins and families, indicating that heredity plays an important role in the onset of vitiligo. Studies have shown that vitiligo has incomplete penetrance and there are multiple pathogenic sites on the gene.

2. Autoimmunity theory

Vitiligo can be combined with autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disease, diabetes, chronic adrenal insufficiency, pernicious anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, malignant melanoma, etc. Specific antibodies to various organs can also be detected in the serum, such as anti-thyroid antibodies, anti-gastric parietal cell antibodies, anti-adrenal gland antibodies, anti-parathyroid antibodies, anti-smooth muscle antibodies, anti-melanocyte antibodies, etc.

3. Psychological and neurochemical theory

Mental factors are closely related to the onset of vitiligo. Most patients suffer from mental trauma, excessive tension, depression or frustration during the onset or development of skin lesions. The degeneration of nerve endings in the white spots also supports the neurochemical theory.

4. Melanocyte self-destruction theory

Vitiligo patients can produce antibodies and T lymphocytes in their bodies, indicating that the immune response may lead to the destruction of melanocytes. Toxic melanin precursors synthesized by the cells themselves and certain chemicals that cause skin depigmentation may also have a selective destructive effect on melanocytes.

The levels of copper or ceruloplasmin in the blood and skin of vitiligo patients are reduced, resulting in reduced tyrosinase activity, thus affecting the metabolism of melanin.

6. Other factors

Trauma, sun exposure and some photosensitive drugs can also induce vitiligo.

2. Clinical manifestations

There is no significant difference in gender, and the disease can occur in all age groups, but it is more common in adolescents. The skin lesions are depigmented spots, which are often milky white but can also be light pink, with a smooth surface and no rash. The boundaries of the white spots are clear, the pigmentation of the edges is increased compared to normal skin, and the hair inside the white spots is normal or whitened. The lesions often occur in areas exposed to sunlight and damaged by friction, and are often distributed symmetrically. White spots are often distributed according to nerve segments and arranged in bands. In addition to skin lesions, the mucous membranes of the lips, labia, glans penis and inner foreskin are also often affected.

Most patients have no subjective symptoms, and a small number of patients experience local itching in the affected area before or during the onset of the disease. Vitiligo is often accompanied by other autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, adrenal insufficiency, scleroderma, atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata, etc.

It is often complicated by diabetes, pernicious anemia, alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis, thyroid disease, primary adrenal insufficiency, scleroderma, malignant tumors, etc.

In terms of clinical manifestations, vitiligo can be complicated or secondary to multiple diseases. There have been many reports of vitiligo cases combined with some autoimmune and endocrine diseases in clinical practice. Such as: combined with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, diabetes, chronic adrenocortical insufficiency and chronic active hepatitis. In addition, there are reports that vitiligo is associated with pernicious anemia, halo nevus, alopecia universalis or alopecia areata, psoriasis, scleroderma, morphea, malignant tumors, drug eruptions, herpes zoster, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, chronic subcutaneous candidiasis and eye diseases, as well as complications of dermatitis herpetiformis, acromegaly, parapsoriasis, chronic persistent erythema, porphyria cutanea tarda, lichen sclerosus and other diseases. There have also been recent reports of vitiligo occurring in HIV-infected people and people with myelodysplastic syndrome.