Petichiae

[AJoy]

Hi everyone!

I was diagnosed with celiac disease last October and have been doing pretty well although I have had some issues adhering to a strict gluten-free diet 100% of the time. At the end of April I broke out is a rash of petechiae which went away but has come back about 5-6 times since. It shows up only on my legs and a little on the top of my feet. This last break out which started a few days ago is worse. I have larger/more concentrated areas of spots and more all over my legs than the past few times. I went to the dermatologist today but are waiting on blood work results...

I was just wondering if anyone else with celiac disease has experienced this and if it could be related?

Thanks,

Amanda

[Gemini]

Hi everyone!

I was diagnosed with celiac disease last October and have been doing pretty well although I have had some issues adhering to a strict gluten-free diet 100% of the time. At the end of April I broke out is a rash of petechiae which went away but has come back about 5-6 times since. It shows up only on my legs and a little on the top of my feet. This last break out which started a few days ago is worse. I have larger/more concentrated areas of spots and more all over my legs than the past few times. I went to the dermatologist today but are waiting on blood work results...

I was just wondering if anyone else with celiac disease has experienced this and if it could be related?

Thanks,

Amanda

It can be related to Celiac but in a round-a-bout way. Petichiae can be a symptom of another autoimmune disease called ITP or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic

Purpura in medical-ese. What happens is your autoimmune system begins to attack your blood platelets and once the number drops lower, it can cause internal bleeding. Your blood will not clot well and minor bumps can cause large bruises or cuts that will not stop bleeding. This disease is rare but happens with Celiac Disease due to it being another autoimmune condition. It is imperative that you follow the diet very strictly for life because by not doing so, your immune system will not calm down and start to attack other organs or body systems. I have a total of 4 autoimmune diseases because I went so long without a celiac diagnosis.

If the dermatologist did blood work to check your platelet count, then that is great but you will need to see a hematologist if the count is low. Here are a few facts about ITP so you won't walk away freaked out or anything....it is a very treatable condition. My co-worker has it and I have watched him go through treatment for the past year and a half and they have stabilized him for the moment. Treatment is not horrible like cancer and involves infusions of antibodies or other medicines. There were no side effects from his treatments and the number of treatments depends on how well you do. In extreme cases they may remove the spleen but that is not a given. My co-worker refused to have the surgery and ended up doing well on meds they are giving him. Doctors like to do surgery because it's easy and they make money from it but you have to look into whether or not it really is necessary.

There is acute ITP or chronic ITP. It can come on quickly and be serious and require immediate intervention or be chronic with low, but not dangerously low, platelet counts. Some people require treatment and others just need to have blood levels monitored for awhile. You may not have ITP at all but your condition is quite common to ITP and a warning sign that something is amiss. Whatever your blood work shows, remember that ITP is treatable. A bit of a pain in the ass but highly treatable.

My co-worker is doing just fine and lives a normal life.

I hope this helps and I haven't scared the hell out of you but I felt the need to be truthful about your symptoms. Please let us know how it works out for you but in the meantime, relax. See what your blood work shows. I understand your worry because when I was diagnosed with Celiac, my blood protein levels were high (later found out this is common with autoimmune diseases)but the docs had to go and check for blood cancer as that can be a cause of elevated protein levels. It wasn't cancer but I was worried for a few weeks! ITP is not cancer, either.

[AJoy]

Thank you for the information and advice. My platelet count is apparently fine which is really weird but I tested positive for ANA...I have to go see a rheumatologist in two weeks to figure out what's going on and if they are related...Thanks again!

[Gemini]

Thank you for the information and advice. My platelet count is apparently fine which is really weird but I tested positive for ANA...I have to go see a rheumatologist in two weeks to figure out what's going on and if they are related...Thanks again!

Well, that's good news! One less thing to worry about. The elevated ANA is not a big deal. Mine was and is elevated and has been coming down slowly the longer I am gluten free. It just is a marker for general inflammation in the body and can be elevated due to any one of the autoimmune diseases out there.

Celiac alone can elevate it.

Good luck at the doctors and I hope you find the answers you are looking for!