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Tear functions in patients with vitiligo
Author(s) -
Güngör Şule,
Nurözler Ayşe,
Akbay Gülfer,
Ekşioğlu Meral
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/ijd.12779
Subject(s) - vitiligo , medicine , dermatology
Background Vitiligo is a common, acquired, pigmentary disorder characterized by the loss of melanocytes. In this study, we evaluated the ophthalmalogic abnomalies of patients with vitiligo with regard to tear functions. Methods The patients and control subjects underwent examinations via the Schirmer's test, tear film break‐up time ( BUT ), and Rose Bengal staining. Results Schirmer test values in patients with vitiligo were lower than those in the control subjects, but the differences were not statistically significant ( P = 0.200). In addition, the BUT values of patients with vitiligo were also significantly lower ( P < 0.001), and the Rose Bengal scores of patients with vitiligo were significantly higher ( P < 0.001) than the scores of the control subjects. When comparing only the vitiligo subgroups, the Schirmer test scores and BUT values of patients with acrofacial vitiligo were significantly lower than those of patients with generalized vitiligo ( P = 0.001). Furthermore, the Rose Bengal scores of patients with acrofacial vitiligo were significantly higher than the scores of patients in the generalized subgroup ( P = 0.011). Conclusion This study revealed that there is a decrease in tear production in patients with vitiligo, particularly in those with the acrofacial type of vitiligo.