Amajor recessive gene appears to govern susceptibility to vitiligo, but actual disease on set depends on environmental triggers, researchers reported.
Dr. Stanca A. Birlea and associates at the University of Colorado, Denver, studied the epidemiology and genetics of vitiligo in a geographically isolated community in the mountains of northern Romania that has had "essentially no immigration or emigration" since its founding in the 16th century.
This community of 1,673 people included 51 with vitiligo, for a prevalence of approximately 3%. This is approximately 20 times higher than the prevalence of vitiligo in surrounding villages and is 7-20 times higher than various ...