DH Outbreak, Iodine, and Certified gluten-free Oats

[Jennifer Lynn]

Hello Celiac.com Community!

I am new to the site and forum and I am eager to hear feedback from folks. I am experiencing a DH outbreak and I have been strictly gluten-free for over 4 years. Two things have changed recently: 

1. I began iodine supplements a few months ago for hypothyroidism as directed by my functional MD. (I did not experience an DH outbreak until two months after starting the supplement.)

2. I enjoyed homemade gluten-free certified oats a couple of days a week over the last month. 

 

I have a few questions:

1. Is it possible to develop DH after being on iodine for some time, irrespective of following a strict gluten-free diet?

2. Can certified gluten-free oats cause a DH outbreak?

3. Do folks experience DH outbreaks without any triggers such as cross-contamination and/or iodine use? Can stress alone induce DH?

 

Thank you in advance!

Warmly,

Jennifer 

[cyclinglady]

Hey, Jennifer!  

I do not have DH.  I encourage you to browse through the DH section of the forum to see if others who have DH have experienced your issues.

 Oats?   Back in the day, oats were not recommended at all.  Then researchers realized that only a few celiacs react to oats (gluten reaction) and they advised waiting for at least six months before trialing them.    Then there has been all the oat controversy (mechanical vs purity grown oats) which you can research on your own.   In some countries, like Australia,  oats are still banned:

https://www.coeliac.org.au/uploads/65701/ufiles/Position_Statements/CAPSOats.pdf

Oats may very well be the culprit.  

If you are hypothyroid, why not just take thyroid hormone replacement?  What is the cause of your hypothyroidism?  I assume that because you have celiac disease, you have Hashimoto’s.  Have you had your thyroid antibodies tested?   I have been on thyroid replacement for 20 years.  Taking iodine supplements when your own body is attacking your thyroid is way off base in my non-medical opinion. It is rare for anyone in the US to be iodine deficient.  Rare.  While a gluten free diet has calmed my celiac disease and even caused my thyroid to go back to normal size and my thyroid nodules to disappear, I still need thyroid hormone replacement.  

I sincerely hope those members who have DH will chime in!  

[Hopeful1950]

Hi, I have DH.  I went undiagnosed for 8 years and it was horrible.  I am 9 years gluten-free, very strict, and I still break out here and there.  In my experience anything with iodine in any quantity and with any regularity can cause it.  Also povidone in medications.  It is my understanding that DH can stay in your skin for up to 10 years “dormant” (for lack of a better word) just waiting to blister.  It is frustrating for sure.