Understanding Vitiligo

Diagnosing vitiligo is not a hectic task. But, it is difficult to understand and analyze the risk factors. The first thing to find out vitiligo is to analyse the symptoms. The common symptom is the white patch seen on different parts of the skin. People affected with vitiligo may also have premature greying of the eyelash, beard, eyebrows and scalp hair. Some people may experience a loss of colour inside the mouth. In most of the individuals, it starts as a single spot and spreads over the other parts of the body.
The doctor will first ask you some questions and try to understand the condition. He/she will conduct physical examinations of the white patches. Some may use a special Wood?s lamp which uses ultraviolet light to find out the patches on the skin. The past history of the disease will also help the doctor in confirming the treatment option.
The doctor may ask you to have blood tests in order to check whether the patient has any other autoimmune disease or not. The blood test is to check for the presence of antinuclear antibodies in the blood. Another diagnostic procedure is called Thyroid Peroxide Antibody (TPOAb). This test helps to diagnose autoimmune thyroid disease and also to separate from the other forms of thyroiditis.