Abstract: Objective: To determine the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) and the risk factors in the patients with vitiligo. Methods: The clinical data and blood samples of 400 vitiligo patients and 360 matched normal people were collected. The prevalence of IDA between the two groups was compared and analyzed. Results: Compared with the normal people, the prevalence of IDA increased significantly in vitiligo patients (P<0.05). The prevalence of IDA in children and adult female patients was higher than those in normal people (P<0.05).The prevalence of IDA in the patients with progressive vitiligo was significantly higher than that in stable vitiligo (P<0.05). Conclusion: Vitiligo patients were prone to suffering from IDA, and the antioxidant capacity decreased more significantly in vitiligo patients with IDA.

Key words: vitiligo, iron-deficiency anemia, prevalence, hemoglobin, superoxide dismutase, catalase