Evaluation of the Risk of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Vitiligo Patients by Measuring Carotid Artery Intima Media Thickness via Ultrasonography

Authors : Zeynep Banu Aydın, Aynure Öztekin

Pages : 255-261

Doi:10.52827/hititmedj.1682097

View : 41 | Download : 48

Publication Date : 2025-06-23

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of melanocytes. It is often associated with other autoimmune diseases and systemic metabolic disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in vitiligo patients. Material and Method: In this prospective study, 70 vitiligo patients and 70 healthy control subjects, who were over the age of 18 years and without cardiovascular disease risk factors, underwent carotid artery ultrasonography, between 2022 and 2023. Carotid artery intima-media thickness which is an indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis was measured bilaterally. Vitiligo patients were grouped according to the presence of vitiligo vulgaris, acrofacial disease, focal vitiligo, family history, duration of disease, and age of the patient at disease onset. Results: The mean carotid artery intima-media thickness in vitiligo patients was significantly greater than healthy controls (p 0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in vitiligo patients with the carotid artery ultrasonography, which is a radiation free, inexpensive imaging method. There are few studies on the risk of cardiovascular diseases in vitiligo patients. The main difference of our study is that we excluded the subjects with any risk factors for cardiovascular diseases to identify the vitiligo as an independent risk factor for subclinical atherosclerosis and therefore cardiovascular diseases. At this point, we think that our study makes an important contribution to the literature.
Keywords : Ateroskleroz, intima media, karotis arter, ultrasonografi, vitiligo

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