Vitiligo: screen for autoimmune thyroid disease
BioMG follows French guidelines. Adapt it to the guidelines and the tests available where you practise.
Non-segmental vitiligo in adults
Laboratory tests
- TSH
- Anti-TPO antibodies (woman, especially after age 50, or family history of thyroid disease)if needednon-French guidelineThyroid dysfunction is concentrated in older women and in case of family history of thyroid disease: screening with anti-TPO antibodies is advised in these at-risk subgroups [2].
Then every year
Do not order
- Free T4 straight away with TSH: TSH is measured alone first-line, free T4 as a reflex test if TSH is abnormal [6].
Sources (9)
- Yuan J, Sun C, Jiang S, et al. The prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;9:803.
- Kroon MW, Joore IC, Wind BS, et al. Low yield of routine screening for thyroid dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with vitiligo. Br J Dermatol. 2012;166(3):532-8.
- Böhm M, Schunter JA, Fritz K, Salavastru C, Dargatz S, Augustin M, Tanew A. S1 Guideline: Diagnosis and therapy of vitiligo. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2022;20(3):365-78.
- Eleftheriadou V, Atkar R, Batchelor J, McDonald B, Novakovic L, Patel JV, et al. British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of people with vitiligo 2021. Br J Dermatol. 2022;186(1):18-29.
- Prajapati VH, Lui H, Miller-Monthrope Y, Ringuet J, et al. Canadian consensus guidelines for the management of vitiligo. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2025;15(6):1351-69.
- Assurance maladie. Nomenclature des actes de biologie médicale (NABM), version 105 : actes 1208 (TSH) et 1487 (anticorps antithyroperoxydase).
- Tanemura A, Oiso N, Okamura K, et al. Second Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitiligo in Japan (2025). J Dermatol. 2026;53(8):e620-e638.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Vitiligo: Diagnosis and treatment. Page destinée aux patients, mise à jour du 15 avril 2026.
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Thyroid Dysfunction: Screening. Final Recommendation Statement, 24 mars 2015 (recommandation I).