like leprosy, lots of myths surround vitiligo, commonly known as ‘leucoderma,’ leaving the patients in intense emotional trauma which sometimes prompt them to commit suicide. As June 25 marks world Vitiligo Day, dermatologists, however say that this autoimmune disorder — wherein the immune system of the body attacks the healthy cells and, in turn, starts affecting the body — is a non-contagious skin condition and a range of cost-effective treatment options are available in the country itself.
They also stressed on early treatment to ensure better and quick results.
While there is no cure for vitiligo, phototherapy or surgical treatments can help, and camouflage creams can be used to hide the white marks, said Dr Rashmi Sarkar, professor at Maulana Azad Medical College Indian and President, Association of Dermatologists Venereologists and leprologists (IADVl), Delhi, on Friday.
She pointed out that around 1-2 per cent of the world’s population is suffering with the condition but it is as high as 8.8 per cent in India. Of these, more than 75 per cent go through emotional stress and low self-esteem due to white patches.
“The most common doubts include fear of diagnosis, fear of increase in the white patches, likelihood of transmission to close ones, besides developing insecurity and loss of confidence psychologically,” added Dr Krishna Deb Barman, Professor at Maulana Azad Medical College and IVDl secretary.
He explained that in localised Vitiligo patients report that they have gone without developing new patches for many years, while Generalised Vitiligo is a progressive disease resulting in unpredictable cycles of spreading and cycles of stability throughout life.
The cause of Vitiligo is yet to be ascertained. Though it seems to be the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors, it’s directly not genetic since it is an auto-immune disease, said Dr Somesh Gupta, assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at AIIMS.
He said due to disfigurement because of white patches, the psychiatric morbidity has been reported 16 per cent-35 per cent of those who were affected. Number of incidents has not increased but we are getting more cases as awareness is on increase.
Dr Rohit Batra, consultant dermatologist , Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, “There are plenty of treatment options available ranging from topical medications, phototherapy, including narrow-band UV radiation (NBUVB), immunosuppressive agents and various dermatosurgical procedures. These vary from patient to patient as the type of vitiligo, extent of disease; stability and cost effectiveness determine the type of treatment and outcome.”
Government organisations like Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Union Defence Ministry and Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM) of the Union Ayush ministry too have developed herbal products after intense research. The DRDO developed poly-herbal drug, ‘lukoskin’, is being sold by Delhi-based AIMIl Pharmaceuticals while Unani researcher Dr MA Waheed has developed Unani formulation which is drawing huge response.