Background: Vitiligo is an acquired depigmented skin disorder. It has a genetic and autoimmune
background. Human beta defensin-1(HBD-1) plus its gene polymorphism were linked to some
autoimmune disorders.
Objective: To elucidate the possible role of HBD-1 in the pathogenesis of non-segmental vitiligo
(NSV) through evaluation of HBD-1 serum levels and its single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
in patients having NSV, in addition, to correlating the results with the extent of vitiligo in those
patients.
Methods: A current case-control study included 50 patients having NSV and 50 controls. The
authors used Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) score to assess vitiligo severity and laboratory
investigations to assess serum HBD-1 level using ELISA and defensin-beta1 (DEFB1) SNP using
polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
