Are Hand Blisters A Celiac Side Effect?

[Guest Cari5393]

I was diagnosed with Celiac 3 weeks ago, so I have been on the diet 3 weeks. I have these painful burning blisters on my hands and fingers. Just within the last 3 days. I read up on DH and it sounds like that would be on my arms and legs. These are slightly pink, raised, and water filled. Is this Celiac related? I have been quite strict with the diet. What gives?

[Cherry Tart]

I had the very same thing. The breakouts started out between my fingers (which very painful) and began to travel all over my arms/legs. I've read that the breakouts can manifest just about anywhere, it's different for everyone. After going gluten free, most of them went away in several weeks. I had a couple of patches that were stubborn and took several months to diminish. Not to worry, they will go away. It just takes time

[UR Groovy]

Hi,

If it weren't for the fact that you've never had this before, I'd say that it's probably Dishydrotic Dermatits - that's what I have. But, Dishydrosis is supposedly chronic - you most likely would have had it before now if it were that. You can do a google search on it. I used to get it on my hands & feet pretty bad before gluten-free. Occasionally, now, I'll get a really small breakout - but it's never gone beyond my hands & feet. It's a lot better since gluten-free, though, "they" don't seem to have a definitive reason why people get it.

But, like I said, it's strange (if it were dishydrotic) that it would appear after you quit gluten.

Maybe it's not Dishydrotic, but Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH is definitely Celiac-related). I don't know much about DH - apparently, that's not what mine is.

Dishydrosis burns & then itches like mad, it blisters (in the begining, it looks a bit like tapioca bubbles), then it scales and leaves shiny spots. It's supposedly chronic, but mine certainly has improved a lot since I've 86'd gluten - it's almost completely cleared up now.

Hopefully, this won't become too much of a problem for you.

Take care,

k

[jerseyangel]

The year leading up to being diagnosed, when I was at my sickest, I would get itchy blisters on the sides of my fingers and on the inside of my forearm. At the time, I had no idea what they were--I still don't, but they have not reoccured since going gluten-free over 2 years ago.

[Guest Cari5393]

I goggled Dishydrotic Dermatits and looked at pictures and that is it! Right in the knuckel bends and on my palm. I do remember getting just one or two of them every few months for the past few years but nothing like this. Thanks for the help. I am realizing there is no limit to the side effects/symptoms of this Celiac Disease.

[UR Groovy]

I goggled Dishydrotic Dermatits and looked at pictures and that is it! Right in the knuckel bends and on my palm. I do remember getting just one or two of them every few months for the past few years but nothing like this. Thanks for the help. I am realizing there is no limit to the side effects/symptoms of this Celiac Disease.

Well,

In that case, worry not - some stuff that has helped me (when I have the tiny breakouts now):

When I eat crap, that's when it comes (by crap, I mean like tortilla chip overload, and lots of starches). I can slow the outbreak (if history is any indication) by cutting out starches and eating lots of veggies. Sounds silly, but I think it may have something to do with acidity/alkalinity. You could try it (?)

After a couple/few weeks, they go away & don't leave scars. A nice, smooth hand cream helps it feel better. My hands look like nothing has ever happened.

So, take care of yourself and it'll all be good.

[donna mae]

I was diagnosed with Celiac 3 weeks ago, so I have been on the diet 3 weeks. I have these painful burning blisters on my hands and fingers. Just within the last 3 days. I read up on DH and it sounds like that would be on my arms and legs. These are slightly pink, raised, and water filled. Is this Celiac related? I have been quite strict with the diet. What gives?

Hi Cari5393:

I've had the same blisters on my fingers off and on since I was a child, I was always told they were from stress....

I have been diagnoses this passed Sept '07, and gluten free.

My son is 22 and my daughter is 20, they were diagnosed at the same time as I was, and they get the blisters on their fingers too.

We all have Dermatitis Herpetiformis, ask your doctor about it on your next visit. There is a medication that may be perscribed to reduce the itching. "Dapsone, a drug from the "sulphone family".

Good luck, stay healthy

Donna Mae

[UR Groovy]

Hi Cari5393:

I've had the same blisters on my fingers off and on since I was a child, I was always told they were from stress....

I have been diagnoses this passed Sept '07, and gluten free.

My son is 22 and my daughter is 20, they were diagnosed at the same time as I was, and they get the blisters on their fingers too.

We all have Dermatitis Herpetiformis, ask your doctor about it on your next visit. There is a medication that may be perscribed to reduce the itching. "Dapsone, a drug from the "sulphone family".

Good luck, stay healthy

Donna Mae

OMG - Does Dapsone help with this stuff too? I've tried other stuff from my docs through the various years, but nothing ever helped. Maybe I should try Dapsone. Stress - they told me that too. I, personally, never saw a correlation with stress with one exception a few months ago.

[confused]

I use to get those all the time, but it has been yrs, i never had those ones checked but i have been diagnosed with DH now, but i havent had outbreaks on my hands.

paula

[UR Groovy]

I know this is a seriously old thread, but I just had a major breakout on my hands (dishydrotic dermatitis - not DH). This one was definitely not caused by gluten, and was most certainly caused by stress. The stressful event took place Sunday night, and by Monday morning, my fingers and palm of hand were totally broken out. I haven't been this stressed out in a couple years, in fact, I began (toward the end of the heinous 6 hour phone call) to feel as though I were going into a panic attack. By the next morning, my stress diminished because I came to an understanding with myself that I could handle the problem and I began to create a specific plan to deal with the problem, and it didn't get a chance to spread to my feet - it seems localized to my fingers and palm.

I'm not saying that gluten would not cause this, I believe that the stress our bodies experience when we get glutened could cause the same reaction, but this one was stress - absolutely.

Just wanted to pop in. I've always been suspicious that this was not caused by stress. Maybe my dermatologist was right after all !

[fedora]

hey. I also have this, dishydrotic dermatitis. It was worst at my sickest and most stressed. I had it on my feet at 12. Then it came back at 25 on my hands. I feel it is related to stress, wheat(in my case), other food intolerances(one lady said she gets them from anything she is intolerant to), detergents(this is real bad for it), and nickel. Wikipedia has good info on it. I still have a few bumps here and there, but nothing bad. My mom got it from washing dishes, hers went away when she got a dishwasher. My praternal grandmother also had it when her children were little. So I imagine it can be hereditary too.

[UR Groovy]

hey. I also have this, dishydrotic dermatitis. It was worst at my sickest and most stressed. I had it on my feet at 12. Then it came back at 25 on my hands. I feel it is related to stress, wheat(in my case), other food intolerances(one lady said she gets them from anything she is intolerant to), detergents(this is real bad for it), and nickel. Wikipedia has good info on it. I still have a few bumps here and there, but nothing bad. My mom got it from washing dishes, hers went away when she got a dishwasher. My praternal grandmother also had it when her children were little. So I imagine it can be hereditary too.

Right - for me it also began when I was 12, and it appeared on my feet first. I was away at music camp the first time it happened. Also, like you, my Mother has this, so I think that in my case, heredity comes into play. Also, it does seem to get worse when I use conventional diswashing detergents (but I usually am already somewhat broken out when detergents make it worse). I use a tea tree based diswashing detergent now that doesn't seem to be a problem.

This time, though, there was no doubt - it was stress. Drag - it was all cleared up, and then BAM - full breakout - overnight.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

If you've only had the hand blisters a few days, it might be cocksackie virus, especially if you are around young children. Cocksackie causes hand. foot, and/or mouth blisters, and sometimes fever and upper respiratory symptoms. When my husband and I had it, we only had the hand and foot blisters, but our son had the whole shebang.

Either way, I hope you feel better soon.

[UR Groovy]

If you've only had the hand blisters a few days, it might be cocksackie virus, especially if you are around young children. Cocksackie causes hand. foot, and/or mouth blisters, and sometimes fever and upper respiratory symptoms. When my husband and I had it, we only had the hand and foot blisters, but our son had the whole shebang.

Either way, I hope you feel better soon.

Maybe for some - not this, though. For me, it's been recurrent and somewhat chronically cyclical for 30 years - dx'd by dermatologists. I just didn't buy that "stress" was a cause before. Anyhoo, ...

[Calicoe]

I get this too, but I can't remember for how long. I have definitely been getting it over the last few years, with the latest just a few days ago. I get little itchy bumps in between my knuckles and fingers. The bumps look different than what I think are the DH bumps that I get on my legs and torso.

[monkeypuss]

I get weird blisters from time to time on my hands, they're very small, all together, usually on my fingers but at the moment on my knuckle and they're sorta clear, very itchy with clear oil coming out of them and quite painful if i scratch...i have suspected DH on my elbows, but this seems like bigger bumps and more scabby and i cant really get my head round to see but not as oily i dont think. not sure what it is, doesnt look as red as dishydrotic pictures i've found so not sure what it is, also had them behind my ears :/

[fedora]

I saw my doctor today. I only have a few blisters now. I said I use to have tons that ate up half my hand. I said they were almost all gone from no wheat. He said these were classic allergy rashes.

[fedora]

It told me it didn't post, so I reposted. oh well

[fedora]

oops. once again