Increased Circulatory Interleukin‐17A Levels in Patients with Progressive and Leukotrichial Vitiligo

Background. Vitiligo is a chronic condition characterized by skin depigmentation. Although not life‐threatening, it significantly impacts quality of life. The pathophysiology of vitiligo remains poorly understood, and treatment options are limited. Mounting evidence supports the importance of autoreactive T cells and, particularly interleukin‐17A‐ (IL‐17A‐) secreting Th17 cells, in vitiligo. IL‐17A targeting has been proven successful in various inflammatory dermatological conditions, including psoriasis and lupus erythematosus. Objective. We evaluated the relationship between serum levels of IL‐17A and the clinicopathological characteristics of Vietnamese vitiligo patients. Methods. In this cross‐sectional study, we analyzed data from 52 nonsegmental vitiligo patients and 50 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals. Serum levels of IL‐17A were measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. We evaluated the correlation between IL‐17A levels and clinical characteristics including leukotrichia, disease duration, vitiligo activity, and body surface area involvement. Results. Patients with progressive vitiligo had significantly higher IL‐17A levels than patients with stable vitiligo (P = 0.014) or healthy individuals (P = 0.002). In addition, serum IL‐17A levels were higher in vitiligo patients with leukotrichia than in patients without it (P = 0.04). Furthermore, serum IL‐17A levels were negatively correlated with age (r = −0.39, P = 0.004) and age of onset (r = −0.33, P = 0.016) in vitiligo patients. Conclusions. Higher serum levels of IL‐17A in patients with progressive vitiligo and leukotrichia suggest a potential role of IL‐17A in melanocyte destruction in the epidermis and the follicular matrix.