Thyroid Abnormalities in Pediatric Patients With Vitiligo in New York City

The link between vitiligo and thyroid disease has been well-established. However, the types of patients at risk for thyroid disease and the strength of this connection in childhood are debatable. We retrospectively reviewed 67 charts of pediatric dermatology patients with vitiligo vulgaris (53 with nonsegmental vitiligo) who were tested for thyroid disease. In our cohort of 28 patients with available thyroid test results, we identified 7 patients (25%) with active thyroid disease. None of the 7 patients with thyroid disease had segmental vitiligo. If we had included the broader number of patients (N=67), the rate may have been as low as 10.4% overall (7/67), which is still a substantial rate of thyroid disease. These results are comparable to the European literature and highlight the need for thyroid screening in children with vitiligo vulgaris of a generalized nonsegmental type.