Welts Or Hives?

[Jenny0409]

So I get these random hives or welts on my skin. They just appear out of nowhere. I will feel an itch on my leg, wrist or arm and all of a sudden there is a raised spot. Sometimes it's small like quarter or silver dollar size. Other times the hive or welt will be large like the size of a can of soda. These usually subside within 20 or 30 minutes. The don't really hurt but are warm to the touch and usually has a little redness around it. Could this be related to gluten sensitivity or a symptom of Celiac? I recently had a very high positive on TTG IGA and am wrestling with the idea of getting the endoscopy. I had Graves disease diagnosed last year. My doctors are so far pretty confident I have Celiac. Just wondering if this could be an odd but related symptom.

 

Thanks!

[cyclinglady]

Have you heard of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome?  You might have a mild case.  Just something to research, consider and discuss with your doctor.  I do not think it is related to celiac disease.  We have one member, Jebby, who is a Pediatric Physician who has celiac disease and now Mast Cell Activation Syndrome -- which is a real disorder!   I have cold urticaria (hives) or at least I did since I was a toddler, but it seems to have resolved on a gluten-free diet.  No more swelling and hives (at least last tested with an ice cube).  All my allergies have diminished.  Not saying gluten-free is a cure all!  Just an observation on my part. 

 

Here's a link to the MCAS society and Jebby's posting here on celiac.com:

 

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/blog/1038/entry-1931-mast-cell-activation-syndrome-madness/

 

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[Jenny0409]

Thank you for the suggestion. I looked into the condition and images of the welts/hives. I'm honestly thinking that's not it. They look nothing like what I get. I should probably take some photos to show and discuss them with my physician. They only come up one at a time and it's not often at all. They almost always large and go away within 20 or so minutes. A dermatologist told me once that it's just a skin allergic reaction that's not super common but he sees it often. I just wondered if it could be something related to Celiac. Frankly, I don't even have a lot of what I'm reading are the "classic" symptoms of Celiac. As per usual, I'm the one that has the less common symptoms just like when I learned I had Graves Disease. I had only one or two of the textbook symptoms but like all of the rare symptoms! haha Guess I can't follow the crowd!

[Jenny0409]

Oh I forgot to mention, I did a little research and read something interesting about autoimmunity and urticarial. The photos I saw look 100% like what I get. I wonder if it could be a physical manifestation of the gluten issue.

[cyclinglady]

You might be on to something. The images look like my hives and wheals (when I scratch) when I get out of the ocean, or ski. I do not ski anymore (osteoporosis) but it would take 1/2 hour for my swollen feet to go down in order to get my ski boots off. Just touching the snow cause instant swelling, itching and hives. Still skied anyway! Back in my day, girls were not to wear pants to school. I was exempted because of my hives -- and I lived in Southern California!

I never worried about it. It made for good fun to demonstrate at parties when I was a kid. I have read that some kids have severe reactions even to air conditioning -- anaphylactic! Sounds like your reaction is minor.

The uriticaria might be related to celiac disease. I read a study about a small boy who had cold urticaria and it resolved after his celiac disease diagnosis and avoidance of gluten. For fun I tested with an ice cube right then. Looks likes I am cured! Not to mention that I get too many hot flashes to even get cold!