MONDAY, July 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Vitiligo diagnosis is more common in older adults and in Hispanic/Latino and Asian American patients, according to a study published online July 19 in JAMA Dermatology.

Nicole Mastacouris, from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New Hyde Park, New York, and colleagues estimated the incidence and prevalence of diagnosed vitiligo across age, sex, and racial and ethnic subgroups in a cohort study and cross-sectional study including electronic health records for children, adolescents, and adults across four U.S. census regions.

The incidence analysis included 2,980,778 patients with vitiligo, and the prevalence analysis included 1,057,534 patients. The researchers found that the overall incidence rate of diagnosed vitiligo was 22.6 per 100,000 person-years (PY) after adjustment for age and sex, and prevalence was 0.16 percent. Patients aged 60 to 69 years had the highest sex-adjusted overall incidence rate (22.6 per 100,000 PY), and prevalence was highest among those aged 70 years or older (0.21 percent). Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, those reporting other or multiple races, Black, and White patients had age-adjusted incidence rates of 41.2, 37.3, 31.1, 29.6, and 18.7 per 100,000 PY, respectively. Age-adjusted prevalence was highest among Hispanic/Latino patients followed by Asian American, those reporting other or multiple races, Black, and White patients (0.29, 0.27, 0.24, 0.22, and 0.13 percent, respectively).

"These observations may support improving awareness of vitiligo disease burden in medical and public sectors, informing research agendas, improving enrollment of racial and ethnic minority populations in trials, and developing health policies," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry and is co-copyright holder of the HS-IGA and HiSQOL instruments.