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Assessing Treatment Delays for Vitiligo Patients: A Retrospective Chart Review
Similar to other dermatologic conditions, barriers to early care in patients with vitiligo can exacerbate health disparities.1 Delayed treatment of vitiligo is known to hamper successful disease stabilization and repigmentation, as therapies tend to work more effectively in early stages of the disease.2
To investigate the factors associated with treatment delays for patients with vitiligo, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 102 consecutive patients with vitiligo attending an academic outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas, over 36 months.
Methods
Our sample included 102 consecutive patients with vitiligo who attended an academic outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas, from January 2017 to January 2020. Demographic information, clinical characteristics of vitiligo, and treatment data were self-reported via a standardized questionnaire given to all patients with vitiligo and gathered from medical chart review. Patient characteristics are outlined in the Table. The delay to treatment was the time (in months) from the date the patient first noticed the lesion to the start date of first treatment. This retrospective chart review was reviewed by the University of Texas at Austin institutional review board and was determined to be exempt.
Statistical Analysis—The data were analyzed descriptively with a Wilcoxon rank sum test (type I error rate of .05).
Results
Of the 102 charts that were analyzed, 45 were females and 57 were males. More than half of the patients (54.9% [56/102]) were White. Sixteen were Asian, 13 were Hispanic non-White, 11 were Black/African American, and 4 were American Indian/Alaska Native. The median age of disease onset was 21 years, minimum age was 1 year, and maximum age was 83 years. The diagnosis of vitiligo was made by a dermatologist for 72 patients and by a physician of another specialty for 20 patients. Ten patients did not declare the specialty of the diagnosing physician.
Individuals older than 21 years when their disease started had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals who noticed their first lesion at an age younger than 21 years (median, 75 months vs 13 months; P<.01). Individuals diagnosed by a dermatologist had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals diagnosed by a physician of another specialty (median, 13 months vs 58 months; P<.05). White individuals had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals with skin of color (median, 13 months vs 31 months; P=.08), though this trend did not reach statistical significance. Individuals with 1% to 25% of body surface area (BSA) affected at time of presentation to clinic also had a shorter delay to treatment than those with a greater BSA affected (median, 13 months vs 74 months; P<.06), though this trend did not reach statistical significance. Type of vitiligo (P<.8), Fitzpatrick skin type (P<.6), and smoking status (P<.7) were not associated with differential delays.
Comment
Impact of Age on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data suggest that individuals who develop vitiligo at a younger age experience longer treatment delays compared to older individuals. Reasons for this are uncertain but could include access issues, medical decision-making agency, and younger patients not remembering being treated during their youth. Our data also could be influenced by some of the adult patients in our study first noticing their lesions many years ago when treatments for vitiligo were more limited. Nevertheless, detrimental effects on quality of life in children and adolescents with vitiligo suggest that motivating younger individuals with vitiligo to seek treatment or proactively making them aware of treatment opportunities may be beneficial.3
Diagnosis of Vitiligo by Nondermatologists—The increase in delay to treatment when a nondermatologist diagnoses vitiligo suggests that prompt initiation of treatment or referrals to dermatology by primary care providers may not routinely be occurring.4 Our data indicate the need to educate primary care providers on treatment opportunities for individuals with vitiligo and that early treatment generally is more effective.5
Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data also show trends for longer treatment delays for individuals with skin of color. Although this did not reach statistical significance, we hope future studies will investigate this issue, especially because patients with skin of color experience more stigmatization and quality-of-life impacts by vitiligo than White patients.5
Impact of BSA on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data show that patients with a smaller BSA had a shorter delay to treatment than those with a greater BSA affected. This was a unique finding given it initially was hypothesized that patients with greater BSA would seek treatment earlier because of the associated increase in quality of life impact. This trend was not statistically significant, but further investigation would be helpful to analyze the reason behind treatment delays in patients with greater BSA affected.
Conclusion
The delay to treatment in our study population was correlated with the diagnosing physician’s specialty and patient age at disease onset, with trends also observed for race and BSA affected. These findings emphasize the need to investigate specific causes of barriers to early care to promote health equity among individuals with vitiligo.
- Tripathi R, Archibald LK, Mazmudar RS, et al. Racial differences in time to treatment for melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83:854-859.
- Boniface K, Seneschal J. Vitiligo as a skin memory disease: the need for early intervention with immunomodulating agents and a maintenance therapy to target resident memory T cells. Exp Dermatol. 2019;28:656-661.
- Silverberg JI, Silverberg NB. Quality of life impairment in children and adolescents with vitiligo. Pediatr Dermatol. 2014;31:309-318.
- Amer AA, Gao XH. Quality of life in patients with vitiligo: an analysis of the dermatology life quality index outcome over the past two decades. Int J Dermatol. 2016;55:608-614.
- Weibel L, Laguda B, Atherton D, et al. Misdiagnosis and delay in referral of children with localized scleroderma. Br J Dermatol. 2011;165:1308-1313.
Similar to other dermatologic conditions, barriers to early care in patients with vitiligo can exacerbate health disparities.1 Delayed treatment of vitiligo is known to hamper successful disease stabilization and repigmentation, as therapies tend to work more effectively in early stages of the disease.2
To investigate the factors associated with treatment delays for patients with vitiligo, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 102 consecutive patients with vitiligo attending an academic outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas, over 36 months.
Methods
Our sample included 102 consecutive patients with vitiligo who attended an academic outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas, from January 2017 to January 2020. Demographic information, clinical characteristics of vitiligo, and treatment data were self-reported via a standardized questionnaire given to all patients with vitiligo and gathered from medical chart review. Patient characteristics are outlined in the Table. The delay to treatment was the time (in months) from the date the patient first noticed the lesion to the start date of first treatment. This retrospective chart review was reviewed by the University of Texas at Austin institutional review board and was determined to be exempt.
Statistical Analysis—The data were analyzed descriptively with a Wilcoxon rank sum test (type I error rate of .05).
Results
Of the 102 charts that were analyzed, 45 were females and 57 were males. More than half of the patients (54.9% [56/102]) were White. Sixteen were Asian, 13 were Hispanic non-White, 11 were Black/African American, and 4 were American Indian/Alaska Native. The median age of disease onset was 21 years, minimum age was 1 year, and maximum age was 83 years. The diagnosis of vitiligo was made by a dermatologist for 72 patients and by a physician of another specialty for 20 patients. Ten patients did not declare the specialty of the diagnosing physician.
Individuals older than 21 years when their disease started had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals who noticed their first lesion at an age younger than 21 years (median, 75 months vs 13 months; P<.01). Individuals diagnosed by a dermatologist had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals diagnosed by a physician of another specialty (median, 13 months vs 58 months; P<.05). White individuals had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals with skin of color (median, 13 months vs 31 months; P=.08), though this trend did not reach statistical significance. Individuals with 1% to 25% of body surface area (BSA) affected at time of presentation to clinic also had a shorter delay to treatment than those with a greater BSA affected (median, 13 months vs 74 months; P<.06), though this trend did not reach statistical significance. Type of vitiligo (P<.8), Fitzpatrick skin type (P<.6), and smoking status (P<.7) were not associated with differential delays.
Comment
Impact of Age on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data suggest that individuals who develop vitiligo at a younger age experience longer treatment delays compared to older individuals. Reasons for this are uncertain but could include access issues, medical decision-making agency, and younger patients not remembering being treated during their youth. Our data also could be influenced by some of the adult patients in our study first noticing their lesions many years ago when treatments for vitiligo were more limited. Nevertheless, detrimental effects on quality of life in children and adolescents with vitiligo suggest that motivating younger individuals with vitiligo to seek treatment or proactively making them aware of treatment opportunities may be beneficial.3
Diagnosis of Vitiligo by Nondermatologists—The increase in delay to treatment when a nondermatologist diagnoses vitiligo suggests that prompt initiation of treatment or referrals to dermatology by primary care providers may not routinely be occurring.4 Our data indicate the need to educate primary care providers on treatment opportunities for individuals with vitiligo and that early treatment generally is more effective.5
Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data also show trends for longer treatment delays for individuals with skin of color. Although this did not reach statistical significance, we hope future studies will investigate this issue, especially because patients with skin of color experience more stigmatization and quality-of-life impacts by vitiligo than White patients.5
Impact of BSA on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data show that patients with a smaller BSA had a shorter delay to treatment than those with a greater BSA affected. This was a unique finding given it initially was hypothesized that patients with greater BSA would seek treatment earlier because of the associated increase in quality of life impact. This trend was not statistically significant, but further investigation would be helpful to analyze the reason behind treatment delays in patients with greater BSA affected.
Conclusion
The delay to treatment in our study population was correlated with the diagnosing physician’s specialty and patient age at disease onset, with trends also observed for race and BSA affected. These findings emphasize the need to investigate specific causes of barriers to early care to promote health equity among individuals with vitiligo.
Similar to other dermatologic conditions, barriers to early care in patients with vitiligo can exacerbate health disparities.1 Delayed treatment of vitiligo is known to hamper successful disease stabilization and repigmentation, as therapies tend to work more effectively in early stages of the disease.2
To investigate the factors associated with treatment delays for patients with vitiligo, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 102 consecutive patients with vitiligo attending an academic outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas, over 36 months.
Methods
Our sample included 102 consecutive patients with vitiligo who attended an academic outpatient clinic in Austin, Texas, from January 2017 to January 2020. Demographic information, clinical characteristics of vitiligo, and treatment data were self-reported via a standardized questionnaire given to all patients with vitiligo and gathered from medical chart review. Patient characteristics are outlined in the Table. The delay to treatment was the time (in months) from the date the patient first noticed the lesion to the start date of first treatment. This retrospective chart review was reviewed by the University of Texas at Austin institutional review board and was determined to be exempt.
Statistical Analysis—The data were analyzed descriptively with a Wilcoxon rank sum test (type I error rate of .05).
Results
Of the 102 charts that were analyzed, 45 were females and 57 were males. More than half of the patients (54.9% [56/102]) were White. Sixteen were Asian, 13 were Hispanic non-White, 11 were Black/African American, and 4 were American Indian/Alaska Native. The median age of disease onset was 21 years, minimum age was 1 year, and maximum age was 83 years. The diagnosis of vitiligo was made by a dermatologist for 72 patients and by a physician of another specialty for 20 patients. Ten patients did not declare the specialty of the diagnosing physician.
Individuals older than 21 years when their disease started had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals who noticed their first lesion at an age younger than 21 years (median, 75 months vs 13 months; P<.01). Individuals diagnosed by a dermatologist had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals diagnosed by a physician of another specialty (median, 13 months vs 58 months; P<.05). White individuals had a shorter delay to treatment than individuals with skin of color (median, 13 months vs 31 months; P=.08), though this trend did not reach statistical significance. Individuals with 1% to 25% of body surface area (BSA) affected at time of presentation to clinic also had a shorter delay to treatment than those with a greater BSA affected (median, 13 months vs 74 months; P<.06), though this trend did not reach statistical significance. Type of vitiligo (P<.8), Fitzpatrick skin type (P<.6), and smoking status (P<.7) were not associated with differential delays.
Comment
Impact of Age on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data suggest that individuals who develop vitiligo at a younger age experience longer treatment delays compared to older individuals. Reasons for this are uncertain but could include access issues, medical decision-making agency, and younger patients not remembering being treated during their youth. Our data also could be influenced by some of the adult patients in our study first noticing their lesions many years ago when treatments for vitiligo were more limited. Nevertheless, detrimental effects on quality of life in children and adolescents with vitiligo suggest that motivating younger individuals with vitiligo to seek treatment or proactively making them aware of treatment opportunities may be beneficial.3
Diagnosis of Vitiligo by Nondermatologists—The increase in delay to treatment when a nondermatologist diagnoses vitiligo suggests that prompt initiation of treatment or referrals to dermatology by primary care providers may not routinely be occurring.4 Our data indicate the need to educate primary care providers on treatment opportunities for individuals with vitiligo and that early treatment generally is more effective.5
Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data also show trends for longer treatment delays for individuals with skin of color. Although this did not reach statistical significance, we hope future studies will investigate this issue, especially because patients with skin of color experience more stigmatization and quality-of-life impacts by vitiligo than White patients.5
Impact of BSA on Vitiligo Treatment—Our data show that patients with a smaller BSA had a shorter delay to treatment than those with a greater BSA affected. This was a unique finding given it initially was hypothesized that patients with greater BSA would seek treatment earlier because of the associated increase in quality of life impact. This trend was not statistically significant, but further investigation would be helpful to analyze the reason behind treatment delays in patients with greater BSA affected.
Conclusion
The delay to treatment in our study population was correlated with the diagnosing physician’s specialty and patient age at disease onset, with trends also observed for race and BSA affected. These findings emphasize the need to investigate specific causes of barriers to early care to promote health equity among individuals with vitiligo.
- Tripathi R, Archibald LK, Mazmudar RS, et al. Racial differences in time to treatment for melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83:854-859.
- Boniface K, Seneschal J. Vitiligo as a skin memory disease: the need for early intervention with immunomodulating agents and a maintenance therapy to target resident memory T cells. Exp Dermatol. 2019;28:656-661.
- Silverberg JI, Silverberg NB. Quality of life impairment in children and adolescents with vitiligo. Pediatr Dermatol. 2014;31:309-318.
- Amer AA, Gao XH. Quality of life in patients with vitiligo: an analysis of the dermatology life quality index outcome over the past two decades. Int J Dermatol. 2016;55:608-614.
- Weibel L, Laguda B, Atherton D, et al. Misdiagnosis and delay in referral of children with localized scleroderma. Br J Dermatol. 2011;165:1308-1313.
- Tripathi R, Archibald LK, Mazmudar RS, et al. Racial differences in time to treatment for melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;83:854-859.
- Boniface K, Seneschal J. Vitiligo as a skin memory disease: the need for early intervention with immunomodulating agents and a maintenance therapy to target resident memory T cells. Exp Dermatol. 2019;28:656-661.
- Silverberg JI, Silverberg NB. Quality of life impairment in children and adolescents with vitiligo. Pediatr Dermatol. 2014;31:309-318.
- Amer AA, Gao XH. Quality of life in patients with vitiligo: an analysis of the dermatology life quality index outcome over the past two decades. Int J Dermatol. 2016;55:608-614.
- Weibel L, Laguda B, Atherton D, et al. Misdiagnosis and delay in referral of children with localized scleroderma. Br J Dermatol. 2011;165:1308-1313.
Practice Points
- The medical community should be aware of factors associated with delay to treatment in patients with vitiligo, such as the diagnosing physician’s specialty and patient age at disease onset.
- Race and percentage of body surface area affected at time of presentation also demonstrate trends regarding treatment delays in patients with vitiligo.