I read something so bizarre about dh

[JaneWhoLovesRain]

I was at a used book sale yesterday and happened to see an old dermatological textbook.  Of course the first thing I looked up was dh just to see what it had to say.  What I read shocked me as well as scared me half to death.

The description of dh was right on, severe itching, blistering, bilateral, arms/elbows etc. but there was no mention at all of celiac, wheat, gluten or anything along that line.  The reason they gave for the cause of dh was "a manifestation of an internal cancer," and later it said it results from cancer, usually cancer of the ovaries or one other that I can't remember.  Being a hypochondriac, this was about enough to put me into cardiac arrest.

I looked at the publication date and it was printed in 1963 which really isn't all that far back.  Has anyone else ever heard of this?? I thought by 1963 they were quite certain that dh was a form of celiac or did it come way after that?

Sorry if I'm freaking anyone out by asking this.  That's not my intent at all, but since cancer is one of my biggest fears I found this rather unsettling.

[LMS]

DH wasn't linked to celiacs until 1967 from my research...

[Posterboy]

JaneWhoLovesRain,

what is odder to me than that there is an older disease that Doctor's have forgotten that explains many of the same symptom's and doctor's do not even think about it today since the "War on Pellagra" was declared over a 100 years and why doctor's don't (at least in the West) think about it any more.

Dr. Heaney wrote a nice online article about this topic.

Open Original Shared Link

Here is fairly recent article about how Pellagra can present in patients and the title says' it all from the International Journal of Dermatology.

Open Original Shared Link

Dermatitis, dementia and Diarrhea are the 3 D's (4th D is death) of Pellagra.

Typically it is only diagnosed today if you are in a subset of the population like an alcoholic for example or you have a gastric bypass.

See this article from the New England Journal of Medicine Open Original Shared Link

and despite all the signs of Pellagra (skin issues etc.) . . .. Pellagra in it native tongue (Italian) where it was first diagnosed was called "rough/sour skin" who knows that today??????? Very few I would venture to guess.

The NEJM can only say they have "Pellagra-like dermatitis" it has been so long since any doctor's seen it they can't (with confidence) diagnose it clinically.

But taking Niacinamide 3/day for 6 months can help alleviate your symptom's if indeed the DH of Celiac is the dermatitis of Pellagra being medically misdiagnosed.

Here is a an article featured on celiac.com about why/how Pellagra can be confused for Celiac disease.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/24658/1/A-Differential-Diagnosis-How-Pellagra-Can-be-Confused-with-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

Because they haven't seen Pellagra in 75+ years no one recognizes it anymore.

****this is not medical advice.

I hope this is helpful.

Knitty Kitty and I are the Niacin warriors on this board.

See this thread where Knitty Kitty says Niacin helped the itching of DH.

If that is so then it might help your DH (if you have it) and your GI problems too if they are caused by co-morbid Pellagra.

see my blog post about where I say "I had Celiac Disease and Developed Pellagra" that talks about this in more detail.

Again good luck and your continued journey and I hope this is helpful.

2 Timothy 2: 7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” this included.

posterboy by the grace of God,

[artistsl]

Interesting. I will have to try niacin to see if it can control this agonizing itch. I'm currently doing a gluten challenge and this rash is driving me nuts!