Could I Have Dh

[Mack the Knife]

I was diagnosed with Coeliac at the end of 2009 and I had the classic gastro-intestinal issues. I never had any issues with rashes.

But over the last few months I have developed an itchy rash on my scalp that flares and recedes but never entirely seems to go away. It's a bit like eczema. I get little bubbles of fluids that are really itchy and I end up scratching them until they burst and my scalp bleeds and then gets all scabby. I've had a bit on my elbows occasionally too but my scalp is the main location.

I figured it couldn't be DH because I never had a rash prior to diagnosis. So why would I get it know when I am strictly following a gluten free diet?

However, I haven't gotten better on a gluten free diet. I went and saw my specialist and he re-did the blood tests and gastroscopy. These showed that I still have active coeliac disease and that I'm not getting better like I should. He suspects I am still accidentally ingesting gluten so I am trying to track that down now. So I probably have been eating small amounts of gluten over the last six months or so.

So, do my symptoms sound like DH? And is it possible to develop DH after diagnosis if I've never had it before? Or is it something else?

I have tried changing hair products, etc but nothing seems to help.

[Tucson Karen and Wayne]

Hows the scalp now?

I wanted to say that I too had the itchy scalp for years and year, only at the base of the back of my neck but into the hair, not on the neck. Drove me crazy and once in a while it happens again, but I started using Horsehair shampoo, and it's gone. After years of itching. You can find it in the normal walgreens type store in the shampoo isle. good luck on this.

[ChemistMama]

But over the last few months I have developed an itchy rash on my scalp that flares and recedes but never entirely seems to go away. It's a bit like eczema. I get little bubbles of fluids that are really itchy and I end up scratching them until they burst and my scalp bleeds and then gets all scabby. I've had a bit on my elbows occasionally too but my scalp is the main location.

I have heard that DH can flare once you start a gluten-free diet...it did for me reaaaaaly bad. My breakouts worsened before they got better, I eventually went on dapsone to clear things up (note; NASTY drug). Make sure you're watching your iodine intake and stay away from NSAIDs for awhile. Don't eat out AT ALL for awhile. Don't just read labels, check web sites of everything you eat. No TV dinners, packaged foods, or take out for awhile. Check your medications, in the US they don't have to label them with allergens, so you may be ingesting some there. DH is nasty and can take time to go away. Good luck!