Association of interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha polymorphisms with susceptibility to vitiligo in Iranian patients.

Vitiligo is a common skin disorder that is caused by selective destruction of melanocytes, resulting in disfiguring loss of pigment. There are convincing evidences that cytokines and T cell mediated immunity may have a role in its pathogenesis. Given the fact that cytokine production is under genetic control, in this study, we have investigated IFN-gamma +874 T/A and TNF-alpha -308 G/A gene polymorphisms in a total of 176 vitiligo patients and 545 controls.