Albinism, vitiligo aren’t same condition

Q: What causes a person to be born albino? I have a friend who has patches of vitiligo. Are the two conditions related?

A: Albinism is a condition that one is born with and not acquired. The word “albinism” comes from the Latin word meaning “white.” There are six types of albino disorders, each caused by a genetic defect at one of six different genes.

Whereas albinism is an inherited genetic condition, vitiligo is an auto-immune disorder where for reasons that are unclear the body begins attacking patches of melanin-producing cells to cause irregular areas of skin without skin pigment. There is contrast between normal pigmented skin and de-pigmented skin.

In albinism, the absence of skin pigment is uniform and total.

Q: A close friend was diagnosed with malignant melanoma on the sole of his foot. How do you explain his situation?

A: While it’s clear that ultraviolet sun exposure increases the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers like basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, it is less clear that sun increases the risk of malignant melanoma.

Dr. Mitchell Hecht is a Roswell physician specializing in internal medicine. Send questions to “Ask Dr. H,” P.O. Box 767787, Roswell, GA 30076.