2017 Volume 13 Issue 2 Pages 97-100
A 72-year-old Japanese woman presented in July 2012 with a 5-year history of depigmented areas on the face. On physical examination, she had multiple well-demarcated depigmented areas on the face and neck. She had also experienced increased thirst for the past 3 years. A blood sample was positive for antinuclear and anti-SS-A antibodies. A biopsied specimen from the lower lip showed dense focal lymphoid infiltration in the minor salivary glands. The patient was diagnosed with vitiligo vulgaris associated with Sjögren syndrome. Internal treatment with L-cysteine, tocopherol nicotinate and topical tacrolimus was of limited efficacy. Subsequent excimer light irradiation together with topical vitamin D3 administration led to repigmentation around the hair follicles without causing photodermatosis. These treatments appear to be effective for patients with vitiligo vulgaris associated with Sjögren syndrome who have no past history of photosensitivity.
