Main description:

Since the first edition of this book was published, new knowledge has been gained on Vitiligo. This widely revised and updated second edition, written by worldwide experts in the field, fully reflects this progress. The apparently, simple and poorly symptomatic presentation of the disease has been a strong disadvantage to its study, as compared to other common chronic skin disorders such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. A good skin-based angle of attack is also lacking because generalized Vitiligo is clearly epitomizing the view of skin diseases as simple targets of a systemic unknown dysregulation (diathesis). This view has mostly restricted Vitiligo to the manifestation of an auto-immune diathesis and skin events, which are easily detected using skin biopsies in most other situations, have not been precisely recorded, with the argument that a clinical diagnosis was sufficient for the management of the patient with Vitiligo. This richly illustrated second edition reflects the constant international effort to share the information gathered about this disorder at the clinical, pathophysiological and therapeutic levels. Its aim still being to bridge current knowledge at the clinical and investigative level, to point to the many unsolved issues, and to delineate future priorities for research.

Contents:

Preface.- I Defining the Disease.- 1.1 historical aspects.- 1.2 definitions and classification.- 1.3 Epidemiology.- 1.4 Histopathology including electron microscopy.- 1.5 Clinical aspects Including natural history according to subsets.- Short introduction.- 1.5.1 vitiligo including acrofacial, universalis.- 1.5.2 segmental vitiligo Including clinical aspects.- 1.5.3 Mixed vitiligo.- 1.5.4 rare variants including inflammatory.- 1.5.5 subtypes of mucocutaneous pigment cell involvement: mucosal, hair follicle (leukotrichia), nevus cells (halo nevus).- 1.5.6 extracutaneous melanocytes.- 1.5.7 Environmental triggers: Koebner phenomenon and occupational vitiligo.- 1.5.8 associated disorders and comorbidities includingautoimmune/inflammatory disorders, immunodeficiences, rare monogenic diseases.- 1.5.9 age and vitiligo: childhood, pregnancy, late-onset.- 1.5.10 vitiligo and skin of colour.- 1.6 assessment and scoring including QoL.- 1.7 Editor's synthesis.- II Understanding the Disease.- 2.1 pathophysiology overview.- Unifying concepts V-SV.- 2.2 methods to study vitiligo.- 2.2.1 in vivo confocal microscopy and other noninvasive techniques.- 2.2.2 animal models.- 2.2.3 in vitro.- 2.3 critical assessment of published data on vitiligo Short introduction.- 2.3.1 Genetics.- 2.3.2 epigenetics.- 2.3.3 melanocyte stability.- 2.3.4 oxidative stress and intrinsic melanocyte defects.- 2.3.5 immunity (innate, adaptive). Innate and adaptive separated.- 2.3.6 peptides, growth factors including POMC and family.- 2.3.7 Stem cells.- 2.3.8 other defects and mechanisms.- 2.4 pathophysiology of segmental vitiligo.- 2.5 Editor's synthesis.- III Treating the Disease.- 3.1 management overview.- What has changed in a therapeutic perspective.- 3.2 discussion of available and new therapies.- 3.2.1 medical therapies.- 3.2.2 phototherapies.- 3.2.3 surgical therapies.- 3.2.4 depigmenting therapies.- 3.3combined/sequential/integrated therapies including maintenance therapy.- 3.4 camouflage.- 3.5 photoprotection.- 3.6 age, gender, ethnic skin, specific locations.- 3.7 psychological intervention.- 3.8 patient's perspectives.- 3.9 discussion of empirical, traditional, alternative approaches.- 3.10 evidence-based medicine perspective and guidelines.- 3.11 beyond guidelines.- 3.12 editor's synthesis and perspectives.- Subject Index.