2 to 5 million people in the USA (1-2% worldwide); 1,059,560 people in the USA 1996 1 ... see also overview of Vitiligo.
approx 1 in 136 or 0.74% or 2 million people in USA [Source statistic for calcuation: "2 to 5 million people in the USA (1-2% worldwide); 1,059,560 people in the USA 1996 1" -- see also general information about data sources]
Ophanet, who are a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when if affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Vitiligo as a "rare disease". More information about Vitiligo is available from Orphanet
About 1 to 2 percent of the world's population, or 40 to 50 million people, have vitiligo. In the United States, 2 to 5 million people have the disorder. (Source: excerpt from Questions and Answers about Vitiligo: NIAMS)
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the prevalence and/or incidence of Vitiligo.
Although the cause of vitiligo is unknown, inheritance seems to be a definite etiologic factor because about 30% of patients with vitiligo have family members with the same condition. Other theories implicate enzymatic self-destructing mechanisms, autoimmune mechanisms, and abnormal neurogenic stimuli.
Some link exists between vitiligo and many other disorders that it often accompanies — thyroid dysfunction, pernicious anemia, Addison’s disease, aseptic meningitis, diabetes mellitus, photophobia, hearing defects, alopecia areata, uveitis, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, and halo nevi.
The most frequently reported precipitating factor is a stressful physical or psychological event — severe sunburn, surgery, pregnancy, loss of a job, bereavement, or some other source of distress. Chemical agents, such as phenols and catechols, may also cause this condition.
Vitiligo affects about 1% of the population in the United States, usually people between ages 10 and 30, with peak incidence around age 20. It affects men and women equally, but women are more likely to seek treatment.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The term 'prevalence' of Vitiligo usually refers to the estimated population
of people who are managing Vitiligo at any given time.
The term 'incidence' of Vitiligo refers to the annual diagnosis rate,
or the number of new cases of Vitiligo diagnosed each year.
Hence, these two statistics types can differ:
a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence,
but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence.
For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.
Footnotes:
1. Rose and Mackay, 1998, The Autoimmune Diseases, Third Edition
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