Originally appeared on E! Online
Kim Kardashian is opening up about a family health battle.
“The Kardashians” star revealed that one of her and ex-husband Kanye West‘s sons has been diagnosed with vitiligo, a rare skin disorder that causes loss of skin color in patches, according to Mayo Clinic.
Kardashian — who shares sons Saint, 8, and Psalm, 5, with the rapper — also revealed that one of her boys inherited the condition from her, as she has long struggled with her own skin-related disease, psoriasis.
“[Psoriasis] came from my mom, went to me,” the SKIMS founder explained during a July 16 appearance on the SHE MD podcast, “and then I passed it on in a different form to my son, who has vitiligo.”
Kardashian’s skin disorder impacts her body in different ways than vitiligo. Instead of causing discoloration, psoriasis — a chronic condition that results from an overactive immune system — creates patches of scaly and inflamed skin often on the scalp, elbows or knees, per Mayo Clinic.
And while her son’s diagnosis came when he was still a kid, Kardashian — who is also mom to daughters North, 11, and Chicago, 6, with West — didn’t start showing psoriasis symptoms until she reached adulthood.
“Mine came on when I turned 30 years old,” the 43-year-old recalled. “We were at my mom’s house and I was wearing a short skirt, and she looked at my legs and goes, ‘Oh my god, you have psoriasis.'”
Noting that she didn’t believe Kris Jenner at first, Kardashian went on to recount confirming the matriarch’s diagnosis with a dermatologist who lived in her apartment building at the time before seeking treatment.
“I got a cortisone shot and it went away for a few years,” she continued. “It was dormant for a few years and then it came back maybe five years later, and I’ve never gotten rid of it since.”
And her son’s not alone in having vitiligo; celebrities including Michael Jackson and Winnie Harlow have also been diagnosed with the condition.
Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian’s escalating tension came to a head on the latest episode of “The Kardashians” after they accused each other of mom-shaming in a heated argument.