Eczema?

[KB.tpw]

I hope it's okay that I post in here. I have celiac and 4 kids, none diagnosed. I have already posted a lot of back story in the DH forum and I'm not here to bore you all with that. I'm just curious if anyone has seen eczema like this on their child. My son is 6 and while at the dermatologist for his little sister, he said it looks like it could just be eczema and to treat it with cortisone. The redness has mostly gone, but he's got pinkish scars and scabby places right now.

 

[StephanieL]

Looks like it's happening symmetrically which would lead me to agree with the Dr. you saw.  I would try and get it under control now what a good lotion after baths (no more than 2x week with no soap) and wet the skin before you apply lotion other nights. 

[weluvgators]

That rash looks similar to one that my son gets on the outside of his elbows.  The pediatricians that we consulted indicated that it was psoriasis like and to treat with cortisone.  Our son's rash seems to present and worsen with gluten exposures.  Quite by accident we found that giving him Zyrtec helps with his rash.  When he started at a daycare facility with environmental gluten exposure we were using daily Zyrtec to help manage his sinuses and found that the elbow rash finally began to clear (after about three weeks of daily 5 mg Zyrtec).  As we have been better able to reduce and eliminate gluten from his diet and environment, it is quite rare for him to get an outbreak now.  Our family manages both wheat allergy and celiac, so our experiences sometimes vary from classic celiac presentations.

[KB.tpw]

He had allergy testing at 3 and all was negative. He has constant respiratory viruses and reflux and gastrtis.

I use an all natural soap that has just coconut oil and a few other things... All organic stuff. We use cortisone and aquafor. He doesn't have any eczema patches.. just gets the bumps that he digs at and then they scab over.

I know gluten is a problem for him and I believe milk is too, but there's no point in keeping him Gluten-free Casein-free until I have a diagnosis because his dad refuses to change his diet. Even if the dermatologist diagnoses eczema, I doubt I could get a prescription for a special diet.. and that's the only thing I could do to force his dad to get on board

[knitty kitty]

I had a rash like that. I also have DH, but there was a similar looking rash mixed in. It was pellagra, a niacin deficiency. Celiac disease prevents absorption of nutrients. Pellagra is often associated with alcoholism, so the doctor might not think of it as applying to your child's case. Many doctors cannot recognize nutritional deficiencies in our well-fed society.