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What Is The Cause And Treatment For Vitiligo?
Hi- My son was born with a white spot on his forehead and 5 weeks after birth he got another white spot on his belly button and on the 6th week after birth he got white spots on both legs from above the knee to his shin. Two months after my son was born, the spot on his forehead shrunk to the size of a quarter piece. We were sent to a dermatologist where he was diagnosed with Vitiligo. The dermatologist at the time said my son was very special because he was born with Vitiligo (the spot on his forehead). The dermatologist has now left her practice to do research and we had to see another dermatologist. After visiting the new dermatologist (3.5 years after my son s birth), she said we ve been treating him for the wrong skin condition. This new doctor said it is Piebaldism. None of my family or my husband s family have Piebaldism or Vitiligo. She wants to perform a blood test for Piebaldism, but I want to know what are the chances that it could be either or? and if I have another child will have either one? At this point, our dermatologist could not do a blood test because only a limited amount of labs can run a test like this, do you know what is needed? The doctor also said that whether my son has Piebaldism or Vitiligo it would be an usual case. Could it be something else?
posted on
Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 26 Nov 2018
Answered on
Wed, 28 Nov 2018
Last reviewed on
Hello,
Both piebaldism and vitiligo are rare genetic diseases and can be diagnosed by genetic testing of a blood specimen. I would like to direct you to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center of the National Institutes of Health because they study genetic diseases and will be able to test for these conditions. (Frequently people with no family history can have vitiligo because there can be a new change in their genetic material.)
In piebaldism, the patient has white spots symmetrically distributed on right and left sides of the body. Other skin conditions that have white areas:
-albinism- all of hair and skin are white and there is the inability to tan
-tuberous sclerosis-flat, white areas on the body, red bumps on face, brain abnormalities
-hypomelanosis of Ito- white swirls that involve much of the body.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Arnold Zedd,
Pediatrician
Both piebaldism and vitiligo are rare genetic diseases and can be diagnosed by genetic testing of a blood specimen. I would like to direct you to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center of the National Institutes of Health because they study genetic diseases and will be able to test for these conditions. (Frequently people with no family history can have vitiligo because there can be a new change in their genetic material.)
In piebaldism, the patient has white spots symmetrically distributed on right and left sides of the body. Other skin conditions that have white areas:
-albinism- all of hair and skin are white and there is the inability to tan
-tuberous sclerosis-flat, white areas on the body, red bumps on face, brain abnormalities
-hypomelanosis of Ito- white swirls that involve much of the body.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Arnold Zedd,
Pediatrician
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