Outpatient Care Patterns Among Patients With Vitiligo

Key Takeaways:

• In an analysis of 2 270 281 outpatient visits for vitiligo, 36% were for patients less than 24 years, and 49% were for patients between 25 and 64 years, illustrating the wide age group affected by vitiligo.
• Visits were more likely to be conducted by dermatologists or primary care physicians, with topical corticosteroids or topical calcineurin inhibitors being the most common treatment options.
• These findings depict the outpatient treatment landscape for patients with vitiligo, providing data that may influence future disease management strategies.

Vitiligo, an autoimmune skin condition characterized by depigmented skin patches, affects approximately 0.76% to 1.11% of US adults. Given its low prevalence, research on patient characteristics and outpatient utilization is limited.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional, population-based analysis of 2 270 281 visits for vitiligo at ambulatory clinics between 2006 to 2016. Using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), investigators examined provider specialties, patient characteristics, comorbidities, and treatment patterns.

Patient and Provider Characteristics

Vitiligo occurred across a broad age range, with 36% of visits involving patients less than 24 years and 49% involving patients between 25 and 64 years. However, the authors suggest that care utilization among patients younger than 24 may be suboptimal, as it is estimated that 50% of vitiligo diagnoses occur in individuals less than 20 years.

Of the 2 270 281 outpatient visits, 52% were for female patients and 48% were for male patients.

Most visits were for White patients (48%), with 22% for Hispanic patients, 13% for Asian patients, 12% for Black patients, and 5% for American Indian or Alaskan Native patients.

Outpatient visits were mainly with dermatologists (59%) or primary care physicians (35%), while 6% of visits were with obstetrician-gynecologists.

Comorbidities and Treatment Patterns

Vitiligo was associated with various comorbid autoimmune and metabolic conditions, including seborrheic dermatitis (8.7%), obesity (6.9%), hypertension (6.8%), thyroid disease (3.5%), and Sjögren syndrome (3.5%).

The most common treatment was topical corticosteroids (31.0%), followed by topical calcineurin inhibitors (15.1%), topical vitamin D analogues (10.7%), phototherapy (9.5%), and topical depigmenting agents (2.8%).

Implications for Managed Care

This study characterized outpatient visits among patients with vitiligo, identifying patient characteristics and rates of utilization, visit specialists, common treatment patterns, and associated comorbidities.

According to the authors, “These findings underscore the importance of collaboration between dermatologists and primary care physicians in the management of patients with vitiligo.”

Reference

Huang MY, Smart K, Lee K, et al. Vitiligo in the United States: a 10-year study of patient characteristics, comorbidities, and treatment patterns. Dermatol Online J. 2026;32(2). doi:10.25251/39x13b67