Does My Son's Rash Sound Like Dh?

[emtek5]

HI. I was wondering if anyone could help me. My 11 year old son has a rash on both legs from the knees down to the ankles. They appear as itchy blisters and then they pop and look like open sores. He has 30-50 on each leg. He has blood on his pants where some of the blisters rub. It looks like some of the pictures of DH on the internet but it's hard to tell. He is embarrassed to wear shorts because his legs look so bad. He was tested for celiac last year and was negative although he has the genetic marker. I have celiac disease but not Dh. My mother, sister, and neice also have celiac disease. The dermatologist I took him to looked at him for two seconds and gave him a cream. He did not think it was Dh. I don't really trust doctors too much since it took me years to get my diagnosis. I was thinking of putting him on the gluten free diet to see what happens. Could anyone tell me if this sounds like Dh? Thanks!

[Lisa]

I don't have DH, but I would put him on the diet immediately. I have heard people say that within several days, they noticed some relief. If it clears, you will know if he has Celiac.

Or you can have him biopsied at the point of outbreak.

Try the diet for a few weeks and see what happens. I hate to see little people struggle.

[Ursa Major]

Yes, that sure sounds like DH. With you and so many other relatives having celiac disease, I think you can be pretty confident that is what it is.

You can always have him tested with Open Original Shared Link, even after he starts the gluten-free diet.

If you could get him to see a dermatologist really soon to do a skin biopsy (beside an active blister), that would be good. If he has an official diagnosis for DH, he will have his celiac disease diagnosis.

If it takes weeks or even months to get in to see a dermatologist, I would just put him on the gluten-free diet. Especially with him having the genes, there can really be no doubt that he has DH/celiac disease.

[emtek5]

Thanks for the advice. I started my son on the gluten free diet today. I expected him to give me a hard time about it but he's willing to give it a try. We'll see what happens.