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Is This Dh Too?

Guest Kathy Ann

By Guest Kathy Ann
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Guest Kathy Ann
Guest Kathy Ann
Posted

I don't have a diagnosis of Dh. I AM celiac, however. And it never occurred to me that my skin issues might be gluten related as well.

Does dh have to manifest itself in visible bumps, welts, rashes, etc.? Does it ever do its dirty work "under" the skin?

I don't have any active rashes or oozing places or angry bumps. But my skin does have issues. Skin injuries heal very slowly and stay red a long time. And yet I've never been a sun worshipper or injured my skin in any way. I've actually been a very health oriented person. I've used only health food store cosmetics for 30 years. And yet my skin looks "damaged." It's very disappointing. I also have rosacea.

All my life I have been itchy and very sensitive. ALL clothing tags have to be removed and I can't tolerate synthetic fabrics at all. I can't wear wool, ramie or linen either because of their inherent scratchiness.

If I exercise at all, I begin to itch and my fingers swell. When I perspire, my skin itches from it.

Just wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone with Dh. Or is it likely unrelated?

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teebs in WV Apprentice
teebs in WV
Posted

Hi Kathy. Doesn't sound like DH to me, but many celiacs on this board appear to have various skin issues. I have DH but I also have other skin issues.

DH is visible blisters - itchy, oozy, itchy, gross, and itchy (did I mention itchy?).

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
I don't have a diagnosis of Dh. I AM celiac, however. And it never occurred to me that my skin issues might be gluten related as well.

Does dh have to manifest itself in visible bumps, welts, rashes, etc.? Does it ever do its dirty work "under" the skin?

I don't have any active rashes or oozing places or angry bumps. But my skin does have many moles, random freckles, raised permanent wartlike bumps, age spots and tags. Skin injuries heal very slowly and stay red a long time. And yet I've never been a sun worshipper or injured my skin in any way. I've actually been a very health oriented person. I've used only health food store cosmetics for 30 years. And yet my skin looks "damaged." It's very disappointing. I also have rosacea.

All my life I have been itchy and very sensitive. ALL clothing tags have to be removed and I can't tolerate synthetic fabrics at all. I can't wear wool, ramie or linen either because of their inherent scratchiness.

If I exercise at all, I begin to itch and my fingers swell. When I perspire, my skin itches from it.

Just wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone with Dh. Or is it likely unrelated?

Wow! Your whole post sounds familiar to me! Every bit of it.

I don't think it's DH, though. And since I've been gluten-free (16 months), the situation has gotten somewhat better. I kid you not, a mole I had on my forehead dried up around the edges recently and fell off while I was washing. A couple spots I had near my hairline have all but disappeared, too.

I never would have thought to mention it, but I wonder if it has something to do with Celiac and being gluten-free?

My itchiness was much better, too until I ate tomato sauce last week. I was intensely itchy and even had burning for several days. I don't doubt that there's some sort of skin connection.

Have you ever been "stung" by the water in the shower?

  • 3 months later...
givingthanx Newbie
givingthanx
Posted

Hi. I haven't been diagnosed yet, but I'm going through that process. I've got so many symptoms, and there are so many related conditions in my family (including thyroid issues, irritable bowel syndrome, loss of hair, lactose intolerance, fibromyalgia, lupus, diverticulitis), that I'll be extremely surprised if I don't have it. Plus, going gluten-free fixed me. And then I had a little gluten and experienced symptoms again.

Anyway, I itch when I run - especially the thighs and stomach. Actually, it usually happens when I haven't exercised for a while and then start back. The first few times I exercise, I'll itch. It gets so bad I have to stop. HAVE to stop. It just itches worse and worse and gets red.

If I continue to exercise on a daily basis, it goes away.

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."

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