Gluten -> Thyroid Antibodies -> Hives?

[mags]

Greetings!

I'm wondering, has anyone had an experience where they had chronic hives, went gluten free, and the hives went away in conjunction with TPO antibodies going down? I know that gluten-free can lower organ specific antibodies in celiac patients, and that TPO can cause chronic hives. I'm just wondering if anyone has actually lived this chain of events.

I have this problem where I seem to get these tiny little hives (they're hives, according to the dermatologist who did a biopsy, not DH. They only last 12 hours at most and then disappear completely). In trying to get to the bottom of it, a thyroid antibody test was ordered and it turns out I have elevated thyroid antibodies. They seem to be related to something I eat, showing up maybe 3-6 hours after eating or in the morning after I ate the night before.

Two years ago I had tests done for celiac since both my grandmother and my mother have had the disease. My biopsy came back negative (however I had not eaten gluten for four weeks at the time) and my blood tests came back with gluten related antibodes at a level of 9 (cutoff for suspicion was 10). However, since I was told I didn't have it, I went along eating pizza and sandwiches until the TPO test came back and I started rethinking.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

R

[RiceGuy]

Well, I don't know how familiar your doctor is with DH or Celiac, but it sounds like DH to me. Did the rash areas itch, and have tiny little "peaks" on them? Sorta like a mini pimple?

Welcome to the board!

[mags]

  RiceGuy said:

Well, I don't know how familiar your doctor is with DH or Celiac, but it sounds like DH to me. Did the rash areas itch, and have tiny little "peaks" on them? Sorta like a mini pimple?

Welcome to the board!

Well, they don't itch--like at all! I'm on a LOT of antihistamines, leukotriene inhibitors, etc since it's Oaky out in Texas right now, so itching may not be actually possible for me. But they do look kind of like tiny pimples. Definitely no blistering or scarring and they go away pretty fast. Also, they appear on my belly, collarbone, and the insides of my forearms (not the outsides or elbows).

He took a biopsy (of the lesion itself, not any skin away from the lesion), and it came back as "hives, with eosinophilic infiltrates, consistent with drug (or food) hypersensitivity". I've never seen such little baby hives before (we're talking 4mm max diameter, most less than that).

I've been gluten free casein free for about 4 weeks now. They have gotten better but not gone away completely yet for more than a day or two. However yesterday I ate TUMS smoothie fruit flavor which I found out after the fact have gluten. It's like the only flavor that has it! What luck. I got the dots within a few hours and I have a headache and some pretty extreme nausea today. Check first chew second.

I guess the reason I ask is that I know it takes a while being on the diet before any organ specific antibodies could potentially go away, so I don't expect instant results.