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Rachel
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 108
Location: Iowa
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 Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:18 am Post subject: Is DH autoimmune or allergy? |
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I have a gluten intolerance.. have been negative to Celiac so far. anyway.... I have done a lot of research on Celiac and DH in the past.
My neighbor's son just had the biopsy from the rash he has had for 1 1/2 years. It came back positive for DH. The dermatologist told them it was an allergy. I always thought it was autoimmune.... but when I go back and research it it seems to be confusing what it actually is. And, some articles say it's the same as Celiac and others say they're 2 different things. Some say you don't have intestinal damage and other say you can have intestinal damage but it's usually less than Celiacs.
Can someone clear this up for me? The mother is very confused on this too.
Thanks, Rach |
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cruelshoes
Joined: 23 Sep 2005
Posts: 3380
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:36 am Post subject: |
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Dermatitis Herpetiformis is a hereditary autoimmune disease linked with gluten intolerance. It is a form of celiac disease. It is not an allergy to gluten, but sometimes people (doctors included) use allergy and intolerance interchangeably. Ingestion of gluten activates an immune system response that causes IgA deposits in the skin. Those deposits cause itchy blisters. People with DH generally have less villi damage than celiacs. They also often will have negative results on the celiac bloodwork.
Here are some links that may be useful. We would love to have your neighbor join up on the board too to get some support. 
http://gluten.net/downloads/print/DHflat.pdf
http://celiacdisease.net/assets/pdf/CDCFactSheetsOverview1.pdf
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-Colleen
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aklap
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 10612
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Rachel, it's great of you to be helping your neighbor with this!
Colleen offered up some good links.
If his dx was positive for DH - he needs to be GF. Regardless of what it's classified as, the treatment is the same as CD...a GF diet.
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Al
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa |
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shonchace
Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 1
Location: midwest
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| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the replies. My friend to her son back to the dermatologist for the consult for DH and he told them he would be able to cheat on the diet and be fine. He said he has some people that take the drug... the one that starts with a D for the rash and they eat whatever they want and they're fine.
I told her I wasn't comfortable with what he was telling them and that I would go by what his pediatrician tells them and they are going to talk to a GI specialist just to get their opinion on DH and the link to intestinal damage... etc. So, they're gluten free and not cheating!
I'm going to give her the link to this forum so I thik she may join. |
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aklap
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 10612
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Shonchace,
Welcome to the board!
| shonchace wrote: | Thanks for the replies. My friend to her son back to the dermatologist for the consult for DH and he told them he would be able to cheat on the diet and be fine. He said he has some people that take the drug... the one that starts with a D for the rash and they eat whatever they want and they're fine.
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 That advice is just insane! Perhaps boarding on malpractice. I sure hope they find another dermatologist.
Dapsone [the drug for DH] will mask/clear the skin symptoms, but it does not give a person the license to eat gluten. The only "cure" or fix for DH is the GF diet, just like it is for Celiac Disease.
http://www.gluten.net/downloads/print/DHflat.pdf
It may also be possible that he has intestinal damage just like those with celiac disease.
Please do give your friends a link to this place!
_________________
Al
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
Last edited by aklap on Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:03 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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cruelshoes
Joined: 23 Sep 2005
Posts: 3380
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Telling a patient that it is OK to cheat on the diet is absolute hogwash. He sounds like he missed the day (or hour) in Med school when they were talking about celiac and DH. I'm glad you set the record straight with your friend. Doctors who give bad advice make me clammy.
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-Colleen
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Rachel
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 108
Location: Iowa
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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I haven't been on here for a few days. My friend's son had the Celiac panel done and it came back positive. The rest of their family also had the Celiac panel done and they've all come back positive so far. Her son who is positive has been on the GF diet for 3 weeks and already a lot less itching.
I also can't believe a doctor of any kind would be telling patients it's ok to cheat! Esp. when he's a type of DR. that helps diagnose it!
This is a teenage boy and is now having a lot of anger with dealing with this diet... guess that's to be somewhat expecting. It's so overwhelming starting the process. The one good thing is that the whole family is eating GF right now until he gets used to the situation. Good support for him I think! |
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aklap
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 10612
Location: WI, USA
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