Prevalence of Vitiligo in Hispanic Patients
Vitiligo is notably MORE common in Hispanic patients compared to the general U.S. population, with Hispanic/Latino individuals showing the highest age-adjusted prevalence at 0.29% and one of the highest incidence rates at 37.3 per 100,000 person-years. 1
Epidemiologic Data Specific to Hispanic Populations
The most recent and comprehensive U.S. epidemiologic study demonstrates clear disparities in vitiligo prevalence across racial and ethnic groups:
Hispanic/Latino patients have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed vitiligo at 0.29% (95% CI, 0.20%-0.39%), compared to 0.13% in White patients 1
The age-adjusted incidence rate in Hispanic/Latino patients is 37.3 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI, 25.7-52.4), which is approximately twice the rate observed in White patients (18.7 per 100,000 PY) 1
Only Asian American patients showed a higher incidence rate (41.2 per 100,000 PY), while Hispanic/Latino patients had the highest overall prevalence 1
General Population Context
While vitiligo affects approximately 1-2% of the world population regardless of race or ethnic background 2, the U.S.-specific data reveals important ethnic variations:
Overall U.S. prevalence ranges from 0.76% to 1.11% in adults, with approximately 40% of cases remaining undiagnosed 3
The general U.S. prevalence is approximately 1%, with worldwide estimates ranging from 0.1-2% 4
Clinical Implications for Hispanic Patients
The higher prevalence in Hispanic populations has critical quality-of-life implications, as vitiligo causes more severe psychosocial impact in individuals with darker skin tones due to the marked contrast between depigmented and normal skin. 5
Quality of life scores are significantly higher (indicating worse impact) in racially pigmented groups, with loss of pigmentation potentially threatening racial identity 5
Hispanic patients face greater stigma and visibility of the disease compared to lighter-skinned populations 6
Common Pitfalls
Underdiagnosis remains a significant issue, with approximately 40% of adult vitiligo cases in the U.S. going undiagnosed 3
Failing to screen for autoimmune thyroid disease is a critical oversight, as approximately 34% of adults with vitiligo have associated thyroid autoimmunity 7
Underrepresentation in clinical trials means treatment efficacy data may not fully reflect outcomes in Hispanic populations, with only 20.40% of trial participants being Hispanic despite their higher disease prevalence 6