Psoriasis And Dh

[krisb]

For a few years now I was told I had psoriasis. Is it possible for a DR. to not recognize DH and think it's psoriasis? I have it on my elbows, some on my fingers and toes. It's so itchy it makes me nuts. It's the bumps like the pics I see. It's just not horribly bad looking all the time.

[frenchiemama]

Well, my DH was "diagnosed" as:

- foliculitis

- staph infection

- eczema

- "some kind of dermatitis" (at least that one was close)

and of course my personal favorite:

- a physical reaction to mental distress (ie, I'm crazy and it's all in my head)

I could imagine that DH could be misdiagnosed as psoriasis. However I believe that psoriasis is an autoimmune condition too, I guess it's possible to have both, or to have celiac disease and psoriasis. I actually do have eczema on my fingers as well as DH. You should get a biopsy to be sure.

[bluelotus]

I have psoriasis on my knees, elbows, and toe nails.....when it gets on the nails, its gross, kind of looks like fungus, but I had a clipping sent off to a lab 2x to be sure. The itchness will flare up once in a while, but most of the time it just looks like paler, slightly bumpy spots on my elbows and knees. Almost forgot, I get it on my scalp too, and it feels bumpy and itchy, though doesn't flake much. I have never seen DH, so I hope my description of my experience helps some......

[lovegrov]

I've had both and they looked nothing alike on me.

richard

[gf4life]

I have both too. I agree with Richard, mine looked totally different. My psoriasis is getting worse since going gluten-free, which is frustrating for me. I was hoping it would get a bit better, but no.

My psoriasis is like white flaky skin all piled up, layer upon layer. When I soak it and brush it off the skin underneath is red and smooth, and very tender. It will bleed if I am too vigorous with the cleaninf off the dead skin. It does itch, but not as bad as the DH. I have it on my knee, ankle, above one toe, scalp and elbow and sometimes get the pain in the elbow joint that is compared to arthritis. It is a pain in the you know what. On my scalp is the most frustrating. It is hard to scrub off. If I wash my head daily with shampoo it dries out, itches more, and looks like I have dandruff really bad. If I go more than 2 days without shampooing, then my head is so greasy it is disgusting. What is the worst is when I have both the psoriasis and the DH going at the same time on my scalp!

My DH looks like red bumps and they blister and itch. Then I scratch them and they take forever to heal, since they keep itching and I keep scratching them open... Sometimes I only have a few, sometimes a cluster. Not very often anymore. Only if I get glutened by accident!

God bless,

Mariann

[krisb]

My DH looks like red bumps and they blister and itch. Then I scratch them and they take forever to heal, since they keep itching and I keep scratching them open... Sometimes I only have a few, sometimes a cluster. Not very often anymore. Only if I get glutened by accident!

quote]

It looks sort of like dead skin with red bumps on it. They look like hard blisters. The bumps itch so much and I scratch them open also. I will wake up at night scracthing so much. I've tried different steroids, light therapy, and moisturizer and it never helps. Actually, it looks so much better since I started the gluten-free diet a week ago. I'm assuming it has to be active to get a biopsy right? When I get them on my fingers and toes it's just the bumps. The skin isn't dry around it. It's just a few very itchy bumps. Enough to drive me nuts.

Does sporiasis get bumps also?

[gf4life]

Does psoriasis get bumps also?

Mine doesn't.

The DH I had when I was still on gluten was losts of small red bumps and blisters on my hands and it itched and was also very painful! I was so glad to get off gluten and it went away. My palms felt like a thoughsand needles were pricking them.

If it were me, I would have a dermatologist (preferably a different one) re-evaluate the psoriasis. You could have both and maybe the DH was popping up through the psoriasis patches? Seems weird, but you never know.

I think your DH has to be active to be biopsied, but I am not sure. I couldn't get to a dermatologist fast enough and you couldn't pay me enough to have stayed on gluten for one more day! I don't know if they have tests for psoriasis. I was diagnosed by the doctor just looking at the patches and occasionally they giove me a different cream for it. None of them seem to work very well. My BIL has psoriasis really bad and he gave me some of his new creams that his doc prescribed. If they work I will ask my doc for some, but so far they only temporarily moisturize the areas and then a few hours later they are dry again and all white and itchy...

Also I have heard others say that their psoriasis got somewhat better when they went off gluten. So I'm crossing my fingers for you!

God bless,

Mariann

[krisb]

Mine doesn't.

If it were me, I would have a dermatologist (preferably a different one) re-evaluate the psoriasis. You could have both and maybe the DH was popping up through the psoriasis patches? Seems weird, but you never know. ]

I had an allergist diagnose it before this celiac diagnoses came about. I never brought it up to a dermatologist. I guess we will see if it completly goes away on gluten free. Then I will have an answer.

[jenvan]

Mariann-

AH! I so relate on the psoraisis...mine has gotten worse since going gluten-free. I can't figure out why. Perhaps my body has more energy to attack my scalp now that it isn't attacking my intestines? I pretty much have it within my hairline...but I worry it will take off in other places. My father has had it terribly all over his body for years. I wish there was a better treatment for it. I am looking into alternatives. I read about some who got rid of their's with the SCD diet...

[gf4life]

krisb,

You might want to see if you can get to a dermatologist. There are so many different skin conditions out there, it could be that you have something completely different that either DH or Psoriasis.

jenvan,

If you decide to try the SCD diet and it works for you, then let me know. I did wonder if because I am eating more starchy grains now if that might be making it worse...or maybe it is like you said, my body had more energy to attack its skin instead of the intestines! I might look into the SCD diet, but I am just not in the dieting mood. It is so much work providing 4 out of 5 in the family with gluten-free meals, and making my husband his separate meals, not to mention the rest of my life getting in the way! I am lucky if I have time to eat anything, but to try to eat gluten-free AND follow a diet just seems overwhelming to me right now...

God bless,

Mariann

[jenvan]

I'll keep you posted Mariann....

[krisb]

What is the SCD diet?

If you decide to try the SCD diet and it works for you, then let me know. 

[jenvan]

Kris-

Go here to read a great summary of the diet: Open Original Shared Link Basically, it is a more restrictive diet for those with crohn's ibd, unresponsive celiac...some parents put their children on it as a treatment for autism as well. It is a more restrictive diet than going just gluten-free, but has helped many people apparently, as well as quite a few on this board. You can also view the book on amazon .com and read all the success people have had on it.

Go here to read an ongoing discussion here for those on the SCD: Open Original Shared Link