Psychiatric associations of vitiligo by race: A retrospective cohort analysis using a large multicenter database

Summary: Abstract Body: Background: Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition characterized by pigment loss. It is known that many vitiligo patients have a psychiatric comorbidity. Since the distribution of psychiatric comorbidities among vitiligo patients across racial groups remains poorly understood, we analyzed these potential associations using a large multicenter database. Methods: TriNetX research database was searched on 12/4/2024 for vitiligo patients ≥18-years (ICD-10 L80). Propensity score-matching by age and sex was performed between each demographic cohort. Odds ratios (OR) of developing psychiatric conditions were calculated by race ≥1 day following vitiligo diagnosis. Results: A total of 101,823 vitiligo patients, including 13,408 Black and 7,106 Asian, were included. Black vs. White vitiligo patients had increased odds of developing schizophrenia (OR 4.31, 95% CI 2.50-7.43), substance use disorder (2.14, 1.63-2.80), bipolar disorder (1.90, 1.43-2.54), suicidal ideation (1.52, 1.16-1.99), and adjustment disorder (1.24, 1.11-1.39). Asian vs. White vitiligo patients had lower odds of developing sleep disorders (0.85, 0.76-0.96), suicidal ideation (0.63, 0.39-0.99), anxiety (0.54, 0.49-0.61), adjustment disorder (0.52, 0.44-0.63), personality disorders (0.45, 0.21-0.96), depressive episodes (0.52, 0.45-0.60), eating disorders (0.37, 0.18-0.76), bipolar disorder (0.29, 0.15-0.56), and substance use disorder (0.27, 0.13-0.54). Conclusions: We found that Black vs. White vitiligo patients had increased odds of having several psychiatric comorbidities, whereas Asian vs. White patients with vitiligo had lower odds. We recommend that dermatologists screen for psychiatric comorbidities in all vitiligo patients, with appropriate referrals to psychiatry. Naeha Pathak¹, Omar Alani¹, Dev Patel¹, Amit Singal², Shari Lipner³ 1. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States. 2. Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States. 3. Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research