Prevalence of vitiligo in East Africa

BACKGROUNDVitiligo is a chronic skin disorder characterized by the loss of melanocytes, resulting in depigmented macules and patches. No accurate estimate has been made of the prevalence of vitiligo in East Africa.

OBJECTIVESTo determine the prevalence of vitiligo in East Africa via a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.

METHODSA systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Eleven articles were retrieved from PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Science and African Journals Online. Microsoft Excel was used to extract the data, which were then exported to STATA 17 for analysis using a random effects model. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed by Cochran's Q test and I 2 statistics. Publication bias was detected with a funnel plot and the Egger test.

RESULTSThe 11 studies retrieved from the literature search provided a total sample size of 8444 individuals reported between 2000 and 2025. The overall pooled prevalence of vitiligo was 6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3-8], while the prevalence among male and female individuals was 54% (95% CI 19-73) and 46% (95% CI 3-61), respectively. The prevalence in children was 3% (95% CI 2-5), 9% (95% CI 7-12) in adults and 7% (95% CI 2-11) in the general population. The models showed that the prevalence of vitiligo in Tanzania was 1% (95% CI 0-3), while the pooled prevalence of vitiligo in Ethiopia was 8% (95% CI 5-11).

CONCLUSIONSIn East Africa, the combined prevalence of vitiligo was relatively high. The increased prevalence of vitiligo highlights the need for health policymakers to pay attention to vitiligo.

Abstract from PubMed