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Dermatitis Herpetiformis Question

kunoichi

By kunoichi
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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kunoichi Newbie
kunoichi
Posted

Hello Everyone,

I have a question about DH that I can't find a clear answer to online, so I was hoping that someone who gets the rash could answer it for me.

Quick background: I don't have insurance, but a friend of mine who was in med school noticed a rash on my legs 3 years ago and suggested that it might be DH. My gastro problems (I was diagnosed IBS) and heritage/family history (Irish/Norweigan; every woman in my family has gastrointestinal problems) suggest celiac.

Question: I've been mostly gluten free for 3 years, but noticed a rash on my leg yesterday that hasn't gone away. It's mostly flat, but with slight raised bumps. The patch itself is about 3 inches in diameter and composed of very tiny red bumps. It itches like crazy. I have a smaller one (about 1/2 inch) on my other leg in roughly the same spot. It doesn't look like a bug bite. Since I don't have a diagnosis or insurance, I can't say whether this is DH or something else. Does this sound like it could be, or not at all? I don't know whether to be worried or not...

Thanks,

Erin

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

It does sound like DH. You may want to just try being really gluten free for a bit and I bet the problem along with your IBS will resolve totally. You should also be careful of gluten ingredients in your lotions, soaps and such. We usually need to eliminate it from them also to stop the antibody reaction.

Idiote Savante Goddess Rookie
Idiote Savante Goddess
Posted

So, Ravenwoodglass, would you say that in appearance it's not unlike chickenpox? Only in a few locations rather than all over one's body?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
So, Ravenwoodglass, would you say that in appearance it's not unlike chickenpox? Only in a few locations rather than all over one's body?

I would be inclined to agree with that. It can either be spread out with random little blisters or can resemble poison ivy or a contact dermatits in that it can have blisters really close. I have had them both ways. Gluten intolerance can also cause various kinds of excema and other skin problems. It can take up to 2 years gluten free for the antibodies to leave the skin. If you get even a small amount of gluten it can reactivate the antibody reaction. I sometimes use a cool compress on the rash when it is being really really itchy.

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