Testing And Dermatitis Herpetiformis

[elbar]

Good Morning everyone,

I have been dealing with the possible diagnosis of DH and hope someone in this forum can answer my question.

I have recently had all blood work, given stool samples, had an endoscopy and colonoscopy for the diagnosis of celiac disease and they have all been negative. However, since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the age of 8 months and continued to have it for 8 more years, my family was then told that I had been cured. Now, 55 years later, thanks to the Internet, I know that Celiac Disease cannot be cured but I do not have any of the gastroentestinal symptoms. I have had lots of skin rashes and other related skin issues during this time.

Is it possible to have DH and be negative on all the tests that I just recently had? My dermatologists believes I have it but I need to have a biopsy done when I'm just starting to get an eruption and the timing hasn't worked out. Therefore, if any of these tests can tell if it's DH and they are negative, then I'll have to start researching what other skin condition I have.

Thanks in advance for all your help. I don't want to go on such a life-changing diet as a gluten-free until it's been proven in some way that I need to.

Elbar

[Michi8]

The way the biopsy is taken can affect the results of the test. AFAIK, you can biopsy when the lesion is inactive, but regardless the sample must be taken from normal skin beside the lesion. Sampling the lesion itself will give a negative result. Just like with other celiac tests, a positive result is always positive, a negative result is inconclusive.

Michelle