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Perioral Dermititis Or Dh?

Lalama

By Lalama
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Lalama Apprentice
Lalama
Posted

For the last 6 months I have had red bumps right around my mouth area. It started on the right side and then I got them on the left side in the same spot. The dermetologist said that it was perioral dermititis. After I went home and researched it, it said to cut gluten out of your diet. I did just that and after about 3 months my face started to clear up. It comes and goes but has been better for the most part-as long as I don't eat gluten or dairy.

I also had two identical rashes on my elbows last year that were perfectly symmetrical dry scaly patches. The doctor initally thought it was ringworm but it wouldn't go away. Then he simply said it's "dermititis". I never thought this could be dh or caused by gluten, but after reading this I am thinking this could be what I have?

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eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Yes it could be DH.

Mine has been most severe on my chin. Started as tiny bumps...increased to large lesions as I didn't know about DH. Dr.'s often confuse it with ringworm. I was treated with antibiotics, antifungals, etc. Finally found DH on this site and the sores are healing after 4 months.

The elbow breakouts make it more suspicious that it may indeed be DH. It tends to get worse if the antibodies continue to get activated.

Iodine in shellfish, meds, vitamins and asparagus can also activate the lesions.

I didn't think DH could occur on the face and it took several more years to figure it out. Only when I broke out in all the "classic" places did I attribute it to gluten.

Good luck.

itchy Rookie
itchy
Posted

Lalama, for a couple of years before my DH broke out in force I had a couple of scaley patches on my arms. These eventually became sites of persistent DH, though the scaleyness has gone with a gluten free diet.

I would be very suspicious that these are early stages of DH.

I had a number of other minor skin bumps and lumps on my skin at the time which had been there for a couple of years and weren't irritating. These disappeared with the dietary changes, even while other symptoms persisted.

Lalama Apprentice
Lalama
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for your replies! I feel like all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together, after all these years of wierd symptoms. Although it is frustrating when these things come and go, at least I know what I need to do to keep them at bay. The only good thing about dh on my face is that, that is what lead me to figure out I needed to give up gluten and with that many other symptoms dissappeared.

I never made the connection with iodine and shellfish causing dh? I am going to the doctor today to see if there are any other foods that I might be reacting to as well.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

They activate the antibodies. And bad. I have been recovering 4 months and still get outbreaks at the slightest shellfish or iodine. So I am going on Dapsone. Yikes.

I never made the connection either until I read it here and then started realizing it was happening.

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    • captaincrab55
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By captaincrab55 · Posted

      Imemsm, Most of us have experienced discontinued, not currently available or products that suddenly become seasonal.   My biggest fear about relocating from Maryland to Florida 5 years ago, was being able to find gluten-free foods that fit my restricted diet.  I soon found out that the Win Dixie and Publix supper markets actually has 99% of their gluten-free foods tagged, next to the price.  The gluten-free tags opened up a  lot of foods that aren't actually marked gluten-free by the manufacture.  Now I only need to check for my other dietary restrictions.  Where my son lives in New Hartford, New York there's a Hannaford Supermarket that also has a gluten-free tag next to the price tag.  Hopefully you can locate a Supermarket within a reasonable travel distance that you can learn what foods to check out at a Supermarket close to you.  I have dermatitis herpetiformis too and I'm very sensitive to gluten and the three stores I named were very gluten-free friendly.  Good Luck 
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      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By rei.b · Posted

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      So you're saying that you think you should have severe intestinal damage since you've had the symptoms so long?   DGP IgG antibodies are produced in response to a partial gluten molecule.  This is different than what tissue transglutaminase antibodies are  produced in response to.   TTg IgA antibodies are produced in the intestines in response to gluten.  The tTg IgA antibodies attack our own cells because a structural component in our cell membranes resembles a part of gluten.  There's a correlation between the level of intestinal damage with the level of tTg antibodies produced.  You are not producing a high number of tTg IgA antibodies, so your level of tissue damage in your intestines is not very bad.  Be thankful.   There may be reasons why you are not producing a high quantity of tTg IgA antibodies.  Consuming ten grams or more of gluten a day for two weeks to two months before blood tests are done is required to get sufficient antibody production and damage to the intestines.  Some undiagnosed people tend to subconsciously avoid lots of gluten.  Cookies and cakes do not contain as much gluten as artisan breads and thick chewy pizza crust.  Anemia, diabetes and thiamine deficiency can affect IgA antibody production as well.   Do you carry genes for Celiac?  They frequently go along with EDS.
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