Miloš Jeseňák, Eva Hyrdelová, Peter Bánovčin
Childhood vitiligo presents a distinct subset of vitiligo with many differences in comparison to adults. Clinically is characterized by sharply demarked depigmented skin lesions and histologically by the loss of functional melanocytes and melanine. This relatively frequent skin disease is probably caused by autoimmunity and impacts whole population without any differences between genders. It seems that no special subgroup of people is involved, however, more than half of all cases appear before the age of 20. Treatment of vitiligo depends on the type and age with many new promising possibilities especially in children. The most applied is topical and systemic pharmacotherapy, usually in combination with phototherapy (photochemotherapy). In case of stable form of vitiligo, there is also a possibility of surgical intervention.