Compared with controls, patients with vitiligo have a considerably higher rate of metabolic syndrome (MetS), according to a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Sarah Ibrahim, MD, and colleagues sought to determine a possible link between MetS or insulin resistance (IR) and vitiligo by age among 142 patients with vitiligo aged 6 and older, plus 142 sex-matched controls. Compared with controls, patients with vitiligo showed notably more frequent links with high blood pressure reading, high fasting plasma glucose levels, dyslipidemia, central obesity, and MetS. Patients with vitiligo also had considerably higher levels of Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and fasting insulin. Older age was the meaningful independent predictor for MetS and IR. “Results obtained from patients with vitiligo and controls with coexistent MetS/IR demonstrated vitiligo as a risk factor for both MetS and IR,” the study authors wrote. “Therefore, regular
follow-up and early metabolic derangement diagnoses are mandatory.”

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