2023-10-24 09:43:11
by Vera Martinella
The project offers free visits and information on the “white spots” disease in Milan, Turin and Rome to help patients who also pay a price on a psychological and social level
It is a disease that is little talked about, mostly considered (mistakenly) an aesthetic problem. Vitiligo, characterized by the typical white patches on the skin, is not lethal and does not cause itching or pain. However, it can have a great impact on the quality of life of patients, both on a psychological level because the spots often appear in visible areas such as the face and hands, and on health in general, given that it falls within the scope of degenerative-autoimmune and which may be associated with other diseases.
Precisely to promote a better understanding of vitiligo and promote knowledge that can break down the prejudices that still surround patients, the project was born Vitilive Walking Tour which will stop in Milan on 29 October, Turin on 26 November and Rome on 3 December. Objectives: to provide information, support those who suffer from it, thanks to free dermatological visits, and promote well-being with a recreational walk of 3-5 kilometres.
What is vitiligo
The American model Amy Deanna gave great visibility to this disease in 2018, at the center of a campaign for a well-known cosmetic brand. The list of famous people with vitiligo, however, is quite long: from Michael Jackson to Andy Warhol, arriving in Italy with Mara Maionchi, Luca Onestini, Kasia Smutniak and the Olympic swimming champion Luca Marin, testimonial and ambassador of the Vitilive Walking project Tour. «Vitiligo is caused by abnormal pigmentation: it manifests itself through white spots which are a consequence of the loss of skin melanocytes – explains Giuseppe Argenziano, president of the Italian Society of Dermatology SIDeMaST -. As a chronic autoimmune disease it is not infrequently associated with other diseases of the same nature: in particular hypothyroidism, it is quite frequent, but rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, diabetes mellitus and alopecia areata also have a higher incidence” .
It can arise at any age, but generally appears between the ages of 20 and 40, and 40% of patients have other cases of vitiligo or other autoimmune diseases in the family. According to estimates, it affects between 0.5% and 2% of the population, more or less 33 thousand Italians in total.
Free visit al Tour
To underline the impact on the psychological and social sphere of patients who are affected by it is Ugo Viora, president ofNational Association of Friends for Leather (ANAP): «According to recent research carried out by the Kearney consultancy firm, anxiety is 72% more common in those suffering from vitiligo than in the rest of the population, symptoms related to depression are 32% more frequent and the use of therapy courses it is 20 times more widespread. The burden appears particularly felt in women and adolescents.” Precisely to support the sick and raise awareness among the population, the Vitilive Walking Tour will be in the squares, open to all and will offer the opportunity to meet with a task force of dermatology specialists, available to carry out free dermatological visits, for which you can book on the initiative’s website. Registration is required, always free, to also participate in the 3-5 kilometer walk, while access to the village with information stands and fun activities will be free. The Vitilive Walking Tour is organized in collaboration and with the patronage of SIDeMaST, ADOI, with the patronage of ANAP and the non-conditioning contribution of Incyte.
How to treat vitiligo
«The course of this disease is difficult to predict: generally, after a rapid appearance of the lesions, a halt in progression is observed – concludes Francesco Cusano, president of the Association of Italian Hospital Dermatologists Venereologists (ADOI) -. The aim of the treatment is to stop the advance of the patches and then try to re-pigment them. Current therapies are based, on the one hand, on the use of topical (i.e. to be applied to the skin) or systemic cortisone, in relation to the state of activity and spread of the lesions to block their spread; on the other hand, on the use of topical immuno-modulators and above all phototherapy with narrow band UVB rays to try to induce re-pigmentation”.
Targeted therapies are also arriving from scientific research which seem to offer new hope and which are based on drugs which, by acting specifically on the processes that cause the onset of vitiligo, allow re-pigmentation of the skin. Encouraging results have been obtained with the so-called JAK inhibitors, drugs already successfully used orally in atopic dermatitis.
October 24, 2023 (modified October 24, 2023 | 08:29)
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