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Is There Any Test To Detect Chances Of Vitiligo In An Unborn Baby During Pregnancy?
Question: Is there any test to prevent/detect chances of vitiligo in an unborn baby during pregnancy or before that? Also, if one has vitiligo patch for 3 years and its stable and has white hair, does that mean that it's segmental vitiligo and it won't spread?
Brief Answer:
there is no such test
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us.
Though there is a family history( around 10 percent) of vitiligo but in most of the cases it is sporadic. So there is no need to worry that your unborn can have it. Even if somebody has vitiligo, it is treatable. Some patients of vitiligo have very good response to medicines while some may have unsatisfactory response.
Your fiance has just one patch of vitiligo which has not increased in size or number, so it is a stable vitiligo lesion. It is not necessarily segmental vitiligo. Segmental vitiligo is when vitiligo does not cross midline and involves a dermatome.
As your fiance took treatment with no response, the best option would be vitilgo surgery. Its a day time procedure. Patient can resume his daily activities after procedure and results are quite good.
Surgical treamtent is only advised if patient finds the lesion cosmetically unpleasant. As its on covered portion and not progressing it can be left as such.
Right now do not worry about your child having it as there are higher chances the child wont get it. One should worry about family history when one has extensive vitiligo and that too since childhood, your fiance developed vitiligo in adulthood and that too is localised, solitary and stable.
Hope this helped.
Take care
there is no such test
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us.
Though there is a family history( around 10 percent) of vitiligo but in most of the cases it is sporadic. So there is no need to worry that your unborn can have it. Even if somebody has vitiligo, it is treatable. Some patients of vitiligo have very good response to medicines while some may have unsatisfactory response.
Your fiance has just one patch of vitiligo which has not increased in size or number, so it is a stable vitiligo lesion. It is not necessarily segmental vitiligo. Segmental vitiligo is when vitiligo does not cross midline and involves a dermatome.
As your fiance took treatment with no response, the best option would be vitilgo surgery. Its a day time procedure. Patient can resume his daily activities after procedure and results are quite good.
Surgical treamtent is only advised if patient finds the lesion cosmetically unpleasant. As its on covered portion and not progressing it can be left as such.
Right now do not worry about your child having it as there are higher chances the child wont get it. One should worry about family history when one has extensive vitiligo and that too since childhood, your fiance developed vitiligo in adulthood and that too is localised, solitary and stable.
Hope this helped.
Take care
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thanks for your helpful advice, doctor. I have a few more questions. Please help me with your expert suggestions as I have to take a very crucial decision in my life.
As you said that it is not necessarily a case of segmental vitiligo, how can we determine whether it's segmental or focal by looking at the patch? Is there any specific shape,location etc. that determines this? If it's segmental or focal, does it mean it won't spread or new lesions won't appear?
Also, is there any treatment/precautionary measures to prevent spread or new lesions in homeopathy (constitutional homeopathy), allopathy aur ayurveda?
Also, one homeopathic doctor told me that if my fiancee starts undergoing constitutional homeopathic treatment 6 months before conceiving, it will assure that vitiligo does pass on to unborn child? Is this correct?
Looking forward to your replies.
As you said that it is not necessarily a case of segmental vitiligo, how can we determine whether it's segmental or focal by looking at the patch? Is there any specific shape,location etc. that determines this? If it's segmental or focal, does it mean it won't spread or new lesions won't appear?
Also, is there any treatment/precautionary measures to prevent spread or new lesions in homeopathy (constitutional homeopathy), allopathy aur ayurveda?
Also, one homeopathic doctor told me that if my fiancee starts undergoing constitutional homeopathic treatment 6 months before conceiving, it will assure that vitiligo does pass on to unborn child? Is this correct?
Looking forward to your replies.
Brief Answer:
please read a detailed answer below
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us.
Focal vitiligo means that a single or few patches occur in a localised area.
Segmental vitiligo as I said earlier involves a segment of body and does not seem to cross midline. For eg it may involve area over half a face. Many a times segmental vitiligo can present as a single patch too.
So your Fiance's lesion could be focal vitiligo ( more likely) or segmental vitiligo. Now both of these variants of vitiligo are usually stable and do not spread. So in your fiancé too, probably no progression would be seen.
There is no drug in any stream of medicine which can prevent offspring from inheriting vitiligo, if at all the the baby does.Vitiligo occurs due to multifactorial causes and one of these causes is genetic inheritance . As I said family history is seen in only 10 percent of people. So I really do not think you should worry about your child having it.
As you said , the answer would help taking a crucial decision in life. From my side I would just emphasise a single lesion of vitiligo should not be a deterrent in marriage or to have baby.
Regards
please read a detailed answer below
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us.
Focal vitiligo means that a single or few patches occur in a localised area.
Segmental vitiligo as I said earlier involves a segment of body and does not seem to cross midline. For eg it may involve area over half a face. Many a times segmental vitiligo can present as a single patch too.
So your Fiance's lesion could be focal vitiligo ( more likely) or segmental vitiligo. Now both of these variants of vitiligo are usually stable and do not spread. So in your fiancé too, probably no progression would be seen.
There is no drug in any stream of medicine which can prevent offspring from inheriting vitiligo, if at all the the baby does.Vitiligo occurs due to multifactorial causes and one of these causes is genetic inheritance . As I said family history is seen in only 10 percent of people. So I really do not think you should worry about your child having it.
As you said , the answer would help taking a crucial decision in life. From my side I would just emphasise a single lesion of vitiligo should not be a deterrent in marriage or to have baby.
Regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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