BackgroundThe 389 C/T polymorphism in the catalase gene, CAT, has been reported to be associated with the risk of vitiligo. AimTo evaluate the association of the CAT 389 C/T polymorphism with susceptibility to vitiligo. MethodsWe undertook a literature search and included the relevant studies passing the selection criteria. After the relevant data were extracted from each study, we statistically analysed the strength of association between the CAT gene and vitiligo risk. ResultsIn total, 7 relevant studies were identified, comprising 1531 patients with vitiligo and 1608 controls. The genotype distribution in the controls of all studies complied with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. After pooling all studies, the results indicated that the 389 C/T polymorphisms in CAT were not associated with the risk of vitiligo in Asians and Turks; however the CT genotype might be a genetic risk factor for susceptibility to vitiligo (OR=1.77, 95% CI 1.30-2.43, P<0.001) and the CC genotype might decrease the risk of vitiligo (OR=0.63, 95% CI 0.47-0.86, P<0.01) in western Europeans. ConclusionsThe 389 C/T polymorphisms in the CAT gene may be associated with vitiligo in western Europeans. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm our findings.