Unveiling Vitiligo: Exploring its Impact on Patients

By BlackDoctor Staff
BlackDoctor
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
https://blackdoctor.org/

Sponsored by Merck

A common misconception about vitiligo is that it’s a “cosmetic” issue. In reality, vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes a loss of color in some areas of skin that is visible as white patches.¹ A life-long disease that doesn’t go away, new patches of color loss can form suddenly and randomly.¹

Prevalence of vitiligo  

About 2-3 million people in the U.S. have vitiligo.² While vitiligo affects people of all skin colors, it can be more noticeable in people with darker skin.³

Studies have shown that vitiligo diagnoses can be more common in older patients and patients from certain racial and ethnic groups, such as Hispanic/Latino patients and Asian American patients.⁴ Approximately 40% of adults in the U.S. with vitiligo may go undiagnosed, which can delay their access to proper care.² 

REGINA vitiligo study: Clinical trial for people with a common type of vitiligo 

There are clinical studies underway that are testing whether an investigational medicine is safe and whether it may work for people with a type of vitiligo called non-segmental vitiligo. People with non-segmental vitiligo might notice white patches appearing on both sides of their body, like on both knees or hands.¹ These patches may come and go throughout their life.¹ 

“It’s important that our clinical studies accurately reflect the people who are living with the condition we’re studying,” said LaShanda Gordon, Clinical Trial Diversity Program Lead at Merck. “We’re committed to increasing the diversity of participants in our vitiligo clinical study, which includes people from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups. 

For more information, visit www.merckclinicaltrials.com/reginatrials.