Black and Hispanic patients with vitiligo had significantly higher depression risk compared with peers without vitiligo, while White and Asian patients showed no increased risk, according to a large US analysis of more than 250,000 electronic health records published in JAAD International.

Black patients with vitiligo had more than double the odds of depression compared with Black patients without vitiligo, while Hispanic patients showed a 45% increased risk. Depression prevalence was 40% among vitiligo patients versus 29% in matched controls. Overall, vitiligo was associated with a 34% increase in odds of depression after adjusting for autoimmune diseases, thyroid conditions, and diabetes.

The findings suggest important racial disparities in the mental health burden of vitiligo, potentially reflecting differences in lesion visibility, cultural stigma, and access to dermatologic and mental health services.

Researchers analyzed data from 254,700 patients in the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program from 2018 to 2024. The study included 1,087 patients with vitiligo matched with 5,435 controls without vitiligo by age, sex, race or ethnicity, education, income, and insurance status.

“Black and Hispanic patients with vitiligo experience significantly elevated depression risk, potentially reflecting greater lesion visibility, cultural stigma, and differences in access to mental health and dermatologic services,” wrote Matthew J. Yan, BS, BA, of the Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues. 

The study was limited by small sample sizes in some racial groups and potential cultural differences in healthcare utilization. The researchers suggested that further integration of dermatology and psychiatry collaborative care models may help address these differences.

Full disclosures are available in the published study.

Source: JAAD International