Rash For A Toddler

[suziq0805]

My 15 month old may have celiac. He has 2 copies of DQ8 and when introduced to wheat reacted very badly, although now doesn't react anymore. But he's still gluten-free for now until we decide how we want to figure out if it was a senstivity or celiac. He often gets a daiper rash that I've always thought was a yeast rash but tonight out of curiosity I googled DH and saw a picture that looks similar to the rash he gets. He often got this rash after being on antibiotics, so yeast rash made sense so I didn't think anything of it. But he hasn't been on meds lately. One day I gave him some blueberry soy yogurt that he hadn't had in a few days (gluten-free also) and a few hours later this rash appeared....then I realized he had this rash often when he was eating this yogurt everyday. Food allergy tests are negative. The rash is little red dots...no scabs or blisters like in some pictures I saw though. He doesn't appear to be in pain or uncomfortable when he gets it. So I guess I'm trying to figure out if this could possibly be DH or just a daiper rash. How long would a DH rash last? If we apply an OTC jock itch cream it usually goes away in about a day. I wasn't finding any info online about what kind of creams treat the rash or how long it lasts to help me figure out if the rash could be more than I've thought.

[itchy]

It was interesting to read about the DQ8 gene. Lots on Wikipedia. Thanks for mentioning it.

If it isn't uncomfortable and it doesn't blister, then it hasn't the typical symptoms of full blown DH.

DH rashes aren't very treatable with creams, etc. so I don't think you are missing anything special.

Maybe children react differently, but if he starts trying to tear his skin off, you might suspect DH at that point.

[cassP]

not sure if it's DH or not. he could be gluten intolerant or celiac... and also have yeast issues, and a casein sensitivity &/or lactose intolerance- if he's getting a rash after yogurt... all these things can be related. ???

just wanted to say that i too have a pair of DQ8s... and while it doesnt always mean u will have Celiac- you are right to stay on top of it .. i have read on here- theories that having double expression of a DQ gene can make u more vulnerable... ?? it's possible for your child to not have Celiac- but i think with those genes- it's likely to be triggered at some point.

many of us on here also react badly to antibiotics.

it's a great idea for you to continue to be aware of any possible symptoms your child may be expressing- skin problems, digestion issues, mental & neurological symptoms...

do u have Celiac? or gluten intolerance??

[suziq0805]

not sure if it's DH or not. he could be gluten intolerant or celiac... and also have yeast issues, and a casein sensitivity &/or lactose intolerance- if he's getting a rash after yogurt... all these things can be related. ???

just wanted to say that i too have a pair of DQ8s... and while it doesnt always mean u will have Celiac- you are right to stay on top of it .. i have read on here- theories that having double expression of a DQ gene can make u more vulnerable... ?? it's possible for your child to not have Celiac- but i think with those genes- it's likely to be triggered at some point.

many of us on here also react badly to antibiotics.

it's a great idea for you to continue to be aware of any possible symptoms your child may be expressing- skin problems, digestion issues, mental & neurological symptoms...

do u have Celiac? or gluten intolerance??

So it's probably just a daiper rash or some reaction to the yogurt.

I have not been diagnosed with celiac or gluten intolerance, although once my son began reacting to wheat/gluten and the doctor mentioned celiac I began researching it and began to wonder if I could have it. I used to get bad stomach cramps as a teen (rare now for me to have one though), minor dizzy spells, lots of gas, and went through years of chronic muscle pain and some nerve pain also. Physical therapy helped to greatly reduce the pain. I can function pretty normally now, but the pain has been there in some degree for 7 years. No doctor has been able to figure out why (I have been to orthopedic, rheumatology, neurology, physiatry). I decided I don't want to go through the testing (trying to avoid more medical bills because I've already spent thousands) and have been gluten free for a few weeks. I'll stick with it for a few months and see if I notice any difference. Both my grandmas have IBS, lactose intolerance and one has severe depression that top docs around here haven't been able to manage well...so I wonder.

[suziq0805]

It was interesting to read about the DQ8 gene. Lots on Wikipedia. Thanks for mentioning it.

If it isn't uncomfortable and it doesn't blister, then it hasn't the typical symptoms of full blown DH.

DH rashes aren't very treatable with creams, etc. so I don't think you are missing anything special.

Maybe children react differently, but if he starts trying to tear his skin off, you might suspect DH at that point.

Thanks for the reply! So it sounds like it's just a daiper rash or some reaction to the yogurt then.

[tarnalberry]

I would expect that is just a diaper rash. As has been mentioned, DH doesn't clear up easily or quickly and it is quite bothersome. I would definitely look into common foods that may be contributing, but keep in mind that teething can also cause diaper rash when it's bad, heat can cause those kinds of bumps, and chemical or mechanical irritations. (If you're using cloth diapers, for instance, there may be detergent or ammonia issues. We've been zealot wiith this last one.)

[itchy]

SuziQ: Some of your symptoms sound like celiac.

My experience is that celiac symptoms won't disappear unless you have a very strict no gluten diet. Minimising wheat stopped my indigestion but didn't stop other symptoms or the initiation of DH.

Only when I got very serious about eliminating every bit of gluten did things really improve. On the other hand, I'm not as sensitive as some people, so experience obviously varies.

My experience is that when I went strictly gluten free, the gastrointestinal symptoms improved very quickly.

[AMom2010]

My 14 month old and I are in the prediagnostic phase, trying to figure out what's going on. Her symptoms only began a little over a month ago. She too has D filled with indigested food (mostly fruit). The pedi GI took one look at her diaper rash and thought it looked liked her stool was acidic and is burning her. DD's rash started about a month after introducing gluten. They are running a stool test called reduced substances to find out if she is lactose/carbohydrate (including fruit) intolerant. Dr. Said if that was negative she would want to do a biopsy in a couple of month to look for celiac damage. Her bloodwork was negative.

[angelbuttons77]

I know I'm new here, and don't have DH, etc, but I do have a son with extremely sensitive eczema. He suffers a lot. When he was in diapers, only 1 brand worked for us (local store brand, of all things) otherwise he would have awful raised red rash, etc. It didn't always blister. He gets this rash from all perfumes and dyes (so just unscented or scent free isn't enough - there's still fragrances in a LOT of that stuff), neoprene (lining of a lot of children's sandals, sadly), and all things that grow (grass, trees, etc, as well as dust mites and dust itself).

I'm actually researching gluten and eczema currently, though, so I'd lean toward looking at what touches the skin as well as what feeds it. It can be both! I've gone gluten-free because of migraines/joint pain, and thinking of having the kids go gluten-free for their assorted health issues as well.

Anyway - hope that helps a little.

--Dea