I don't know if this has been brought up in past discussions, but if not it is very important. Researchers have found a link between Vitiligo and Hepatitis C. People with active Hepatitis C have also been presenting with Vitiligo. It is important to be tested for Hepatitis C as if it is active, it will lead to liver failure, liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver. It is a silent killer because by the time you have symptoms it is already to late to treat. A simple blood test determines the presence of Hepatitis C.. I highly recommend it because while Vitiligo itself is relatively harmless to your health, Hepatitis C is not. It is suspected that there are currently at least 5 million people in the U.S. alone with undetected Hep C and over 200 million worldwide.
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When I went for treatment for my Hep C, the internist who treated me told me they were investigating a connection. He works at a research/university hospital. He also told me that during the treatment my vitiligo spots would probably increase at a more rapid rate. They did. Anyway, I am just putting this out there because Hep C is a silent killer that once detected is too late to treat effectively without a serious medical intervention such as a transplant. By the way, my treatment was in 2006, the article was written in 2004, maybe they just-haven't given up trying to find a co-relation yet because of Hep C has an association with other autoimmune diseases. Regardless, everyone should be tested for Hep C. Doctors won't do it routinely. You have to ask.
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This article would seem to indicate no connection (see conclusion). I'm not sure if that's definitive in any way, but just more information.
When I went for treatment for my Hep C, the internist who treated me told me they were investigating a connection. He works at a research/university hospital. He also told me that during the treatment my vitiligo spots would probably increase at a more rapid rate. They did. Anyway, I am just putting this out there because Hep C is a silent killer that once detected is too late to treat effectively without a serious medical intervention such as a transplant. By the way, my treatment was in 2006, the article was written in 2004, maybe they just-haven't given up trying to find a co-relation yet because of Hep C has an association with other autoimmune diseases. Regardless, everyone should be tested for Hep C. Doctors won't do it routinely. You have to ask.