What is Vitiligo, and what causes it?
The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but doctors and researchers have several theories. There is strong evidence that people with vitiligo inherit a group of three genes that make them susceptible to depigmentation. The most widely accepted view is that the depigmentation occurs because vitiligo is an autoimmune disease - a disease in which a person's immune system reacts against the body's own organs or tissues. people's bodies produce proteins called cytokines that, in vitiligo, alter their pigment-producing cells and cause death of these cells. Another theory is that melanocytes are destroyed. Finally, some people have reported that a single event such as sunburn or emotional distress triggered vitiligo, however, these facts have not been scientifically proven as causes of vitiligo.
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