Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Thyroid Disease in Children With Vitiligo.

BACKGROUNDVitiligo is a common dermatologic disease in children with a prevalence of around 1% in the general pediatric population. The co-occurrence of thyroid disease and vitiligo has been established, which can affect growth and development. However, this association in the pediatric population has not been systematically evaluated.

METHODSThis systematic review included studies from PubMed and Cochrane databases with data on children ≤ 18 years of age with a documented diagnosis of vitiligo where information on thyroid disease could be obtained from the study based on history, examination, or testing. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers. Covidence systematic review software was used for study screening, abstract and full-text reviews, and data extraction.

RESULTSA total of 37 studies were identified, including 6291 children with vitiligo. There was a significant amount of heterogeneity in thyroid testing performance. Among all patients, 571 patients had thyroid disease or abnormal test results with a per-study range of 0%-55.3%. Positive antithyroid antibodies (13.5%) and elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (6.3%) were the most common abnormalities. Most patients with thyroid disease had non-segmental vitiligo. There was no correlation between age, sex, disease duration, disease activity, and family history of vitiligo or thyroid disease, with much heterogeneity in reporting.

DISCUSSIONMost studies showed an increased prevalence of thyroid disease in children with vitiligo, indicating that screening for thyroid disease with antithyroid antibodies and TSH may be warranted at baseline and periodically.

TRIAL REGISTRATIONPROSPERO 2025 CRD420251059494.

Abstract from PubMed