Association Between Psoriasis and Vitiligo: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The relationship between psoriasis and vitiligo has not been previously confirmed, and we therefore aimed to investigate this association. Methods: We conducted a search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE electronic databases on 22 January 2018 for case–control, cross-sectional, and cohort studies examining the association between psoriasis and vitiligo. A customized Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. We performed a random effects meta-analysis to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for case–control and cross-sectional studies. Results: Of 2453 citations identified from the literature search, 10 case–control/cross-sectional studies with a total of 120,866 psoriasis cases and 79,907 vitiligo cases were included in our study. Four of these studies were rated as high risk of bias. We found a significantly increased odds for vitiligo in psoriasis patients (summary OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.56–3.37, studies = 7), as well as a significantly elevated odds for psoriasis in vitiligo patients (summary OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.86–6.33, studies = 4). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed that psoriasis and vitiligo are associated with each other. Several studies had a high risk of bias, and further investigation is needed to confirm this association and amplify treatment options.