Confetti-like depigmentation may predict vitiligo progression

(HealthDay)—Confetti-like depigmentation may be a marker of rapidly progressing vitiligo, according to a review published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Juan Jesús Sosa, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues reviewed the medical records and images of seven patients (12 images) from a vitiligo registry. Three independent reviewers assessed the data. In an additional cohort of patients with confetti-like lesions, the Vitiligo Disease Activity Score and the Koebner Phenomenon in Vitiligo Score were compared to the scores of patients who had vitiligo without confetti-like lesions.

The researchers found that the mean percentage of depigmentation increased from 19.2 percent at baseline to 43.9 percent at an average of 16 weeks of follow-up. Additionally, the Vitiligo Disease Activity Score and Koebner Phenomenon in Vitiligo Score were significantly higher in the patients with confetti-like lesions compared to those without confetti-like lesions.

"A confetti-like pattern of depigmentation may be a negative prognostic indicator for patients with rapidly progressing vitiligo," the authors write.

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