First Post--questions, Questions, Questions....

[ElvisLives 0]

Greetings from the foothills of North Carolina!

OK, here we go: First of all, I was diagnosed with DH around September 1st. I had both types of testing. I also have psoriasis, which is what the dermatologist thought was the problem originally. During the worst of my recent outbreak, which began in mid-June, the itching was unbelievably intense!

For the last month, I have been gluten-free (although, I may have made mistakes as I am learning). My DH has been quiet for the last few weeks. Now, all of the sudden, it is coming on strong (elbows and knees). I have yet to use Dapsone since my outbreaks are limited to a few areas.

Several questions: 1) I am taking large doses of Advil and Aleve for a muscle issue. After looking around the site, I see that folks claim that his can lead to outbreaks. Are there studies that bear this out? Or, do we just have anecdotal evidence?

2) I love to drink beer, and as much Red Bridge beer as I am purchasing, I ought to own stock in the company! This is gluten free beer. But, there seems to be some correlation between heavy drinking and psoriasis outbreaks. Can drinking gluten free beer lead to DH outbreaks?

3) During this recent outbreak, I also have small areas of redness with little bumps which itch mildly to moderately. These issues have arisen on my inner forearm, just above my knees, etc. But, there are no blisters in the classic DH sense. Any ideas as to what this might be?

4) Have any folks here developed lymphoma due to untreated DH?

Thanks for any help! I hope to get to know you all better.

[Ahorsesoul 55]

Psoriasis can also look like Mycosis Fungoides. I have a family member (32 yrs old) who was being treated for psoriasis for years. He happened to find a doctor who knew this disease is often (yes often) mistaken for psoriasis. It's another disease ,like celiac, which is still thought to be rare. And don't think you have to be older to have this. Most cases aren't found until the patient has been treated for psoriasis for most of their lives.

Of course gluten can casuse psoriasis like symptoms. But once gluten free if it doesn't go away I strongly suggest you have your doctor do a biopsy.