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Does It Worsen With Excercise?

Lillyth

By Lillyth
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Recommended Posts

Lillyth Explorer
Lillyth
Posted

I just came back from Hapkido class & noticed my rash (suspected DH), was WAY worse. As in WAY redder. More like the "nastier" pics of DH I've seen, though not with the blisters.

Does your DH act up with excercise?

(BTW, it didn't necessarily itch more, it just looked worse - I guess maybe I should do a good hard Hapkido workout right before seeing my doc, cuz she might actually listen to me if it looked worse)... ;)

  • 2 weeks later...
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Ksmith Contributor
Ksmith
Posted

I never had the Dh symptoms except one spot, which was more like the eczema-looking Dh, on the back of my elbow. I then started riding my bike to school everyday and I got a breakout right where my bra is (where I sweat and the sweat doesn't dry quickly)...this break-out was the burning, itching Dh...it was terrible and I am convinced it has something to do with moisture or exercise. Just my experience...

Lillyth Explorer
Lillyth
Posted
  • Author
I never had the Dh symptoms except one spot, which was more like the eczema-looking Dh, on the back of my elbow. I then started riding my bike to school everyday and I got a breakout right where my bra is (where I sweat and the sweat doesn't dry quickly)...this break-out was the burning, itching Dh...it was terrible and I am convinced it has something to do with moisture or exercise. Just my experience...

Thank you.

Funny enough, it only did it that one time. Maybe my body was just flushing out the old gluten? :blink:

  • 7 months later...
Guest Mattray88
Guest Mattray88
Posted

Sweating, or being out in the sun seems to agrivate mine.....

SpikeMoore Apprentice
SpikeMoore
Posted

For what its worth, as I had an inconclusive biopsy, before I went gluten free, I would get them after a work out. Often along an elastic band area. Went gluten free 2 months ago and none since.

mtdawber Apprentice
mtdawber
Posted

My DH gets really bad in the sun or when I sweat in the all the usual places.

eleep Enthusiast
eleep
Posted

Does the sweat just help to spread some kind of evil rash-related ooze around?

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SpikeMoore Apprentice
SpikeMoore
Posted

Has anyone had swollen lymph nodes in the same area? On occasion when there has been a particularly large blister, I have noticed that the lymph nodes in the area get a little tender and swollen. I am guessing that it could be from the autoimmune system being overactivated in the first place. If there are several smaller spots, this doesn't seem to occur.

  • 1 month later...
givingthanx Newbie
givingthanx
Posted

I don't think I have DH, but when I haven't exercised for a while and start back up, I itch really bad, and my skin gets red - primarily on my thighs and stomach. It forces me to stop exercising, it gets so bad.

If I keep exercising some on a daily basis, it goes away.

I've never met anyone who had this same problem. I've asked my friends before if they itch when they exercise, and they always say no.

givingthanx Newbie
givingthanx
Posted

Hi. I did some more research on this (since I have the same itchy skin from exercise), and it turns out it can be more serious than I thought, and YES, it can be related to gluten.

It is called exercise-induced urticaria or anaphylaxis. Actually, the urticaria is the hives. The anaphylaxis means "a severe allergic reaction."

Don't trust my explanation. Do your own research, but this is my impression of what happens: When you reach a point past your physical conditioning, you itch. If you don't stop exercising when you feel the itch come on, it can even get so bad that you pass out from super-low blood pressure. It can even get so bad that you can die. So it's important to stop when the itching comes on.

This web page shows that there can be a gluten connection:

Open Original Shared Link

It can also be caused by other things - allergies, medications, etc.

Please do an Internet search on "exercise-induced urticaria."

cchhrriiss Newbie
cchhrriiss
Posted

I read that you should stay away from iodides when you have DH. When you sweat....maybe the salt is coming out in your sweat.....just a thought. Especially me who loves salt. I have DH on my face...I work out regularly, and it bothers me.

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
it can even get so bad that you pass out from super-low blood pressure. It can even get so bad that you can die. So it's important to stop when the itching comes on.

Hmm I passed out a lot after exersize, I thought that just mean I was doing it properly.... ? If I ever finished a race and didn't pass out or close and vomit for 10 minutes I figured I hadn't really tried ......I could never figure out runners who finish a race and can talk... I always figured they just didn't try very hard.

Anyway... i get some funny spots identical to my mom mainly tops of my arms and back... I never got them diagnosed and it doesn't look half as bad as the sample pictures for DH.... I feel a bit of a fake saying they're DH but they do however come when I've been glutened...

Anyway when I have them they react to exersize... but not painfully so.(and not really itchy).. they just get redder and more swollen as if a liquid is pushing up?

I wonder if they are hives or something set off by the gluten?

Thanks for the links... Im taking a break now but will check them tomorrow...

  • 2 weeks later...
rkr Newbie
rkr
Posted

I'm not sure if I have DH, but what caught my attention with these posts was that I had a strange rash on my abdomen after I would sweat there during a workout. The rash has cleared since I am more strict with my diet again... So it seems that the consensus is that sweating can aggrivate DH. Good to know.

sherylj Rookie
sherylj
Posted
Hi. I did some more research on this (since I have the same itchy skin from exercise), and it turns out it can be more serious than I thought, and YES, it can be related to gluten.

It is called exercise-induced urticaria or anaphylaxis. Actually, the urticaria is the hives. The anaphylaxis means "a severe allergic reaction."

Don't trust my explanation. Do your own research, but this is my impression of what happens: When you reach a point past your physical conditioning, you itch. If you don't stop exercising when you feel the itch come on, it can even get so bad that you pass out from super-low blood pressure. It can even get so bad that you can die. So it's important to stop when the itching comes on.

This web page shows that there can be a gluten connection:

Open Original Shared Link

It can also be caused by other things - allergies, medications, etc.

Please do an Internet search on "exercise-induced urticaria."

I sent a copy of this post to my daughter who is a student a MSU. She had an epidode so like what you are talking about. She was exercising,,the hives started...she went to student health and they gave her a shot for allergies (as she has some allergies to carrots and parsley) but she had not eaten either of those foods? Then she fainted and they transported her to ER.... she is not gluten-sensitive (or doesn't have any of the major symptoms) All her blood test came back normal but her PCP mentioned the exercise induced hives (my daughter was skeptical). Hope she reads this post. Oh, and she was definitely dehydrated!! Her lesson?? DRINK MORE WATER.

givingthanx Newbie
givingthanx
Posted
I sent a copy of this post to my daughter who is a student a MSU. She had an epidode so like what you are talking about. She was exercising,,the hives started...she went to student health and they gave her a shot for allergies (as she has some allergies to carrots and parsley) but she had not eaten either of those foods? Then she fainted and they transported her to ER.... she is not gluten-sensitive (or doesn't have any of the major symptoms) All her blood test came back normal but her PCP mentioned the exercise induced hives (my daughter was skeptical). Hope she reads this post. Oh, and she was definitely dehydrated!! Her lesson?? DRINK MORE WATER.

By no means would I say that she is gluten-sensitive, because the only thing I know at this point is it sounds like she had exercise-induced urticaria, which can be caused by any number of things. However, I should tell you that scientists and doctors are starting to recognize that gluten sensitivity does not always manifest in the "classic symptoms."

There are all kinds of atypical symptoms, and strangely enough, I've also read in numerous places that a person can be gluten sensitive and have no visible symptoms. This seems strange even to me. Some people experience primarily fatigue. Some people experience irritability. For some people, having late developmental markers as a child - walked late, maybe talked late, etc. - and being extremely flexible as a child could have been caused by celiac.

Just in case, it might be a good idea for you guys to do some research about celiac disease symptoms and also take into consideration conditions people in her bloodline have been diagnosed with because gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease, are hereditary. In your research, you would find that celiac is often misdiagnosed as other things.

For instance, in my family, one person has lupus and diverticulitis. Another person has alopecia and lactose intolerance. Another person has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, another with irritable bowel syndrome. Another has a visibly enlarged thyroid and is hypoglycemic. There is some unusually short stature in my family, a lot of thyroid issues, as well as fatigue and arthritis. All these conditions often either co-exist with celiac or are a misdiagnosis of celiac. But I have a large family on that side, so if it does run in your family, you may not find that much.

The fact that she was dehydrated interests me. It's possible she was not actually dehydrated but that her low blood pressure caused them to think that she was dehydrated.

It's possible there could also be another explanation, other than dehydration, and other than anaphylaxis caused by the urticaria. There is a condition (I think I may have it) that I have recently learned about that mimics dehydration. I'm not sure I know enough about it to talk about it. Low blood volume is involved, and it can cause fainting - or dizziness and blacking out. Every time I give blood, I'm told that I'm dehydrated because they can't hardly get the blood to come out. Once the person even TOLD me I was dehydrated, and I responded that no, I was not. If I had drunk any more water, it'd be coming out of my pores. Or they ask me if I've eaten. I'm not sure, but I'm wondering if one of the causes of it could be celiac.

What happens when she gives blood? Does she sometimes get unusually dizzy when she goes from lying down to standing, or sitting to standing? Does this dizziness force her to sit down? Or does her heart race sometimes, and then slow down if she lies down? Just curious... It's possible that this is the case but she just never talked about it because it's normal for her. That's the case with me. I never talked about it because I was so used to it. Interestingly enough, people who are like this are told to consume a lot of salt because their bodies can't hold onto enough water otherwise.

A couple times I've actually fallen over in the shower and thanked God I didn't hit my head and go unconscious on the way down. It must have been days I had a lot to do and jumped out of bed and into the shower. I started wobbling back and forth, got super dizzy, and fell down in a huge thud - had absolutely no control of my body. After two times, I learned to sit down in the shower when I felt it coming on. And it has happened many more times outside of the shower. I just remember the shower incidents because I was scared about hitting my head on the shower walls.

She may not be experiencing that at all. Just thought I'd ask. One question to ask her: Does she remember falling when she fainted? If all she remembers is getting dizzy, and then coming out of it, she really did faint. If she remembers the actual process of falling (like I do when it happens - I don't actually lose consciousness), it's possible she has the low blood volume issue.

darlindeb25 Collaborator
darlindeb25
Posted

This is a very interesting thread. I got a breakout right where my bra is (where I sweat and the sweat doesn't dry quickly)...this break-out was the burning, itching DhNow I do not get the burning or itching, yet a very red rash, identical on both sides, which I also get on my tummy too. I kept thinking it must be a new intolerance. I know I am gluten-free, no doubt in my mind. SO, I am wondering if this can be caused by other intolerances, not just gluten. Now I have another thing to research!!!! :huh:

A couple times I've actually fallen over in the shower and thanked God I didn't hit my head and go unconscious on the way down.I had this happen to me 4 years ago, was so strange. It did make me be much more careful. I did pass out and hit my head and knee. I was in a motel room, which just happened to have a built in chair in the shower--I hit my head on the chair, we think. I remember having this very queasy feeling and reaching to adjust the temp of the water--thank god I turned it to cold and not hot--I could have gotten burned pretty bad.

Isn't it something what we celiac's go through? It's getting so that nothing surprises me anymore.

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