How long between a gluten exposure and a DH rash breakout?

[BrianneC]

Hi everyone! New here. Still in the process of diagnosis and discovery. My sister has celiacs and got diagnosed about 15 years ago now, classic GI symptoms. I got a blood test back then and was negative. Never really had an issue, but always had a bit of IBS. I did tend only develop a severe stomach cramping that would come on after eating shrimp in my early 20’s, stopped eating shrimp. Back in November 2020 i began getting an itchy rash on my scalp and hip, didn’t tie them together at that moment. The one on my hip I could see and it sort of looked like a cold sore so I was worried it might be shingles. It sort of came and went for a few weeks. Then it started to pop up on my elbows, on my ankles, on my shoulder blades, on my lower back and it was sooooo itchy at night. Finally went to doctor, told me it was just a rash gave me steroid cream. Didn’t work so went to dermatologist, told me it was eczema, told me to use cream 4x a day. Didn’t work. Went back to deem gave me an oral steroid, didn’t work. Finally googled all the places I had my rash and found DH. None of my doctors have a clue what it is or how to test for it so I asked to see a specialist. Stopped eating gluten and it went away within a month. Just saw the specialist (GI at U of Michigan) and he’s all I’m not sure it’s celiac if you don’t have stomach problems. Waiting on tests to come back but i haven’t been eating gluten and they told me I didn’t need to so not sure how accurate it will be! But I’m just curious for others with this, how long after ingesting gluten does it usually take for you to start to get the rash/itch? And what is the normal pattern for others as far as where your rash appears?

[trents]

Your celiac blood antibody tests will likely be negative since you eliminated gluten from your diet previous to the testing. But I think you have the proof you need to conclude you are a celiac. If you have DH you are a celiac. DH and gut problems are the two classic manifestations of celiac disease. Sone have both. Some have one or the other. Those who don't have gut manifestations of celiac disease may get them in time.

Could you pots a pic of your rash? DH has characteristic blisters.

Edited July 9, 2021 by trents

[Scott Adams]

The time it takes for a DH breakout after eating gluten can vary greatly from person to person, as well as how long the breakout will last. For many with DH the breakout happens within a day of eating gluten, but some people report 2-4 days after. For some it can go away in a few days, but others have reported that a breakout can list for 2 weeks or longer. Many with DH report being very sensitive to gluten, and even tiny amounts can trigger an outbreak.