Dh On Feet...?

[bassgirls]

My 8yo DD has this weird looking rash on her feet and resembles the dh pics I can find online. It starts red with fliud filled blisters that end up rupturing and so forth. They sometimes end up bleeding after its been ruptured for a while. It itches and hurts. No amount of antifungal cream, vaseline prescribed excema cream has helped. I have pics if thats more helpful. We dont know wether the girls have celiac but I think they do and we have so many unresolved GI issues. Your thoughts?

[happygirl]

Speak to your child's pediatrician and tell them your concerns.

Request to be tested for Celiac. The blood tests (all of them) include:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level.

Request that the possible DH be biopsied.

Open Original Shared Link

"What is dermatitis herpetiformis (DH)?

DH is an intensely itchy vesicular rash occurring anywhere on the body, especially on the extensor surfaces (knees and elbows) and the scalp. Patients tend to experience the rash in the same area, for example on their hands, in their scalp or on the buttocks. Virtually 100% of patients with DH have celiac disease, though the intestinal lesion is usually milder than most patients who have predominantly gastrointestinal complaints. The lesions of DH are very sensitive to even the ingestion of small amounts of gluten. Other dietary factors, for example iodine, may exacerbate the rash or prevent its healing. The rash is however dependant on the ingestion of gluten. While Dapsone will control the skin lesions of DH, a gluten-free diet allows Dapsone to be discontinued, healing of the intestine and reduction in the risk of the development of lymphoma that is increased in patients with DH."

Open Original Shared Link

"Q: What is dermatitis herpetiformis?

DH is the skin manifestation of celiac disease. It is characterized by an extremely itchy, watery blister or rash that is found on the limbs, trunk, face and scalp. The blisters are often mirrored on both sides of the body or face and reoccur in the same areas. The eruptions are often mistaken for and treated as other skin conditions including psoriasis, infected mosquito bites, contact dermatitis, allergies or "non-specific dermatitis."

DH is a chronic, permanent condition and, if not treated with a gluten-free diet, may cause gastrointestinal symptoms at a later date whether or not the intestines shows damage initially. Less than 10% of patients with DH have GI symptoms, yet if you have DH, you always have celiac disease.

DH is diagnosed by a small skin biopsy at the edge of an eruption. This must be done by a knowledgeable dermatologist as a sampling of tissue from the wrong section of the eruption can be confused with other skin conditions.

The current treatment of DH is two-fold:

1- A strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.

2- The use of medications to relieve the itching and burning of the blisters.

Dapsone is the usual drug of choice. Baseline blood tests should be performed prior to treatment with Dapsone and blood work should be done at regular intervals thereafter. Medications should be taken in the smallest effective doses for as short a time as possible and monitored by a physician.All of the ingested drugs have numerous potential side effects, some extremely severe.

Topical creams containing cortisone and steroids are also prescribed to alleviate symptoms. None of these drugs eliminate the cause of the eruptions or the IgA deposits within the skin, they simply suppress the symptoms.

Q: What triggers DH?

The simple answer is ingested gluten. But iodine (potassium iodide, iodized salt, kelp), some anti-inflammatories and stress can exacerbate the disease. An area of controversy is whether or not gluten can be absorbed through the skin. Most medical experts say no, only dietary gluten is of concern.

DH can be "exquistely sensitive" to gluten. Since the skin may not be rid of the IgA deposits for 2+ years after starting a gluten-free diet, flare-ups may continue to occur. The skin response is much slower compared to the healing of the intestinal mucosa. In particular, outbreaks of facial and scalp lesions while on otherwise adequate treatment is not uncommon."

The biopsy is supposed to come from the skin in the area directly around the sores, not the sore itself.

[lovegrov]

Your description sounds a lot like DH, but the feet would be an unusual place for it. Need to see a doctor who knows something about it.

richard

[lattelady]

Yes it does sound a lot like DH, I also have it but not on the feet. The use of clobetasol is the only thing that works for me, BUT it is a steroid cream. I also get small patches on my face and use a different cream for that. Of course I am on a strick gluten free diet, but that doesn't seem to matter sometimes, when the DH wants to flare up it just does. They should be referred to a dermatologist, that is the only way I found out what it was, the doctors didn't really know...I would get the kids tested for sure, it might be easier to get them on gluten free diets young, than waiting 32 years like I did before finding out why I was sick

[flourgirl]

I had a break out of DH before I was diagnosed with Celiac. I was told...If you have DH, then you ARE Celiac. My tests all proved that I am. I had blisters absolutely everywhere! I thought it was poison Ivy, but it didn't really act like poison Ivy. Yes, I had it on the bottoms of my feet, the tops of my feet, between my toes, my legs, arms, belly chest, throat, face, and places I don't care to mention. I mean everywhere. I work in a mill 12 hours a day which made it miserable. All of that standing caused my feet blisters to bleed under the skin, and finally to scab over. Messy! It wasn't until I started going Gluten Free that it healed......but if I eat salty things....or use ibuprofen...I get little clusters of blisters. I used bath soaks, Calamine lotion to ease the itching. It helped a little, but not a whole lot. (I was trying to "dry up" the poison ivy with alcohol, too). The hardest part was trying not to scratch my skin off. Hope your kids get better soon....and I know that it's Celiac.

[KimmyJ]

It's absolutely possible. I've had break-outs on the tops of my feet many times before going gluten-free.

[ItchyMeredith]

yup- the tops of my feet is a place I commonly get blisters.

[moonlitemama]

Don't know if this is what you might be dealing with, but I've (seemingly - self-diagnosed) dealt with chilbains the last few years. Open Original Shared Link

Haven't really found anything that helps - they come and go during the cold months.

Good luck figuring it out!