Dh And Routine Blood Work

[lotsofquestions]

What is your experience with routine blood work associated with diagnosing DH? Does blood work usually show signs of malnutrition, i.e. abnormalities in blood counts, etc?

My son's routine blood work is normal except for a slightly low ferritin. Dermatologist says he would not have celiac unless his blood counts were abnormal. My son has rare to no GI symptoms - just the skin rash.

Any input? I'd appreciate it. Thank you!

[SGWhiskers]

I don't have DH or much in the way of digestive issues. Mine is primarily neurologic. I have Marsh IIIc Celiac and the only things in the routine blood tests that was abnormal was slightly elevated liver enzymes and slightly low Vit D, which is common in Northerners. Years and years ago before I suspected anything might be wrong, I had low iron levels. I didn't have much done in the way of routine blood tests at that point as I was 19 and felt fairly healthy. Looking back, I think I had some symptoms at that even then.

My thought are that if I can have severe Celiac damage and almost nothing abnormal in routine blood tests, then routine blood tests are not a good way of determining if Celiac is a risk.

Are you Celiac? If yes, he should be tested whether he has symptoms or not.

Does your son have diagnosed DH? or just symptoms consistent with DH? I hope you get some answers soon.

[lovegrov]

If your son has DH he has or will have celiac. The National Institutes of Health have declared that if you have DH, you don't even need to be tested for celiac. You have it.

richard

[lotsofquestions]

Well, thanks for your replies. I appreciate that. My 15-year-old son started with a rash on his trunk that the drs thought was chicken pox. That blood test for chicken pox was negative, so we went to a dermatologist who tried him on antibiotics for folliculitis, and antifungals, neither of which worked. He took a biopsy which was negative for fungus (but only tested the rashed part). Then he took blood work which was normal except for a ferritin of 9 which is just below normal. Then he declared that he had no idea what was wrong. Meanwhile, the rash has spread to his arms and legs. It looks like many of the pictures I see of DH. So, I suggested that to the derm who was actually very receptive and ordered a blood test for celiac, which was negative. My son has very very rare symptoms of cramping with 1 loose bowel movement per episode- maybe once per month if that. So, we've been sent to another derm who thinks it is just a virus which will go away in 4-6 weeks (it's been 8 or 9 already) or a bacteria which will go away with antibiotics (we already did that). He took 2 more biopsies, again, on the rash, not beside it. When I suggested DH, he poo-poo'd it. He said the blood work is too normal.

I think that's it. Thanks for letting me vent! I am getting a little frustrated over all this. I just want to know what it is. i hope it's not DH, but if it is then we can start to deal with it. If this derm doesn't help us I am going back to the family doctor who said she would do a biopsy of clean skin for him.