Factores psicobiológicos en vitiligo infantil: Posible rol en su génesis e impacto en la calidad de vida

Resumen

Background: The exposure to stressing situations may play a role in
the appearance of vitiligo. Patients with the disease have a greater sensitivity to environmental stress
and a lower threshold to generate catecholamine mediated responses. Aim: To evaluate the
temperament and character of patients with vitiligo and explore the relationship of the disease with
negative life events and life quality impairment. Material and methods: The study population were
21 patients with vitiligo aged 5 to 12 years, and two control groups (G1 and G2). G1 was composed by
14 healthy siblings of vitiligo patients. G2 was composed by 21 age and gender matched healthy
students from two schools in Santiago, Chile. The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI),
the Qualitative Psychosocial Development Survey (QPDS), the Life Event Checklist (LEC) and the
Childrens’ Life Quality Index (CDLQI) were applied (LEC only to vitiligo patients). Results: On the
temperament dimensions, vitiligo patients scored high on the “harm avoidance“ scale in comparison to
G2 (13.7 v/s 10.6). Compared with G1, QPDS showed in vitiligo patients a higher frequency of fear to
strangers (71% and 36%, respectively) and a predominant feeling of fear and shyness in response to
changes in a close relative (80% and 8%, respectively). There was a negative correlation (protective
factor) between the character dimension “self-directedness“ and CDLQI score (r =–0.703).
Conclusions: In this group of patients, we found a possible relationship between a specific
temperament dimension, vitiligo and its impact on life quality