Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Dermatitis Herpetiformis – General Information

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (also abbreviated DH and also known as Duhring’s Disease) is an autoimmune skin disorder which is often associated with Celiac disease. This disease is also associated with the sensitivity of the intestine to the gluten in the daily diet (celiac sprue). This disease usually appears in the twenties, but there are cases when children are affected. This medical condition affects men as well as women, but the cause of the Dermatitis Herpetiformis is unknown, although it is associated with the sensitivity of the bowel to gluten (gluten is a protein which is mainly found in cereals). In normal conditions the immune system creates antibodies in order to attack the invaders, but in people who are suffering from this medical condition, the gluten makes the organism to attack the patient’s skin. The Dermatitis Herpetiformis is an itchy skin eruption which is more common in men, but as we said it also develops in women. Unlike the Celiac disease, this medical condition has mild gastrointestinal symptoms, which in many cases may not appear at all, as it has been scientifically proven the fact that only 10% of the persons who suffer from this medical disorder have the gastrointestinal symptoms similar with those which appear in the Celiac disease. This medical disorder is less common than Celiac disease and it is less common in black or Asian people. Unlike the Celiac disease, this medical condition has no inherited tendency, and it is not linked with auto-immune thyroid or to diabetes.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Dermatitis Herpetiformis) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Dermatitis Herpetiformis or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Dermatitis Herpetiformis, may experience: rash of red bumps, blister (usually localized on the scalp, elbows, back of the neck, knees, and buttocks) which usually appear gradually and cause itching and a burning sensation. If these blisters break open they usually develop a crusty layer which will become infected. The skin localized in the affected area can become over or under pigmented, but this only in the patient in which recurrences of the disease. The patients who are suffering from this disease are at a risk of developing gastrointestinal lymphoma, which is the cancer of the intestines. Other symptoms include: stinging around the scalp, elbows, knees, buttocks and back, skin lesions which are very itchy, intense pruritus (this develops usually before the appearance of new lesions), bloating, diarrhea, symptoms of malabsorption, iron folate deficiency, crusts, erosions, oral mucosa can be affected, urticaria (may appear although less frequently), vesicles can appear and they usually are symmetrical and develop on the elbows, knees, shoulders, and on the buttocks.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis – Treatment

In order to diagnose Dermatitis Herpetiformis, the doctor or personal health care provider will submit the patient to a biopsy, by taking a sample of the affected skin area and sending it to a laboratory for further investigations. There are some types of antibodies which are present in the skin when the patient suffers from Dermatitis Herpetiformis. In people who are suffering from Dermatitis Herpetiformis, the doctors or personal health care providers usually recommend the patients to avoid as much as possible the foods which contain gluten and also to take drugs which contain Dapsone. Doctors may also prescribe antipruritic medication in order to relieve the itching. After the disease is under control, the patients usually can stop or decrease the intake of the medicine, but must continue to abstain from foods which contain gluten. Dapsone is an antibiotic, and the topical preparations which contain it are usually used on the skin or taken orally in order to treat or control acne and Dermatitis Herpetiformis, but it may be used for other problems if it is prescribed by the doctor or personal health care provider. Dapsone is available in the following forms: topical, gel and cream.

Patients should tell the doctor if they have had an allergy to this medicine or to any other medicine which contains it or to any other substances. Researchers have not tested it in pregnant women, but the medication seems not to lead to birth defects or other problems, as it was studied on animals. The topical form of this medicine passes into the breast milk and can lead to unwanted effects in the babies. If women who are breast feeding take this medicine they may be needed to stop taking it (or to replace it) or to stop breast-feeding. Studies reveal that topical Dapsone may also be used in children who are under the age of 12. There are many drugs which have not been tested in older people, and Dapsone is one of them. It is not known, yet, if it can lead to different problems or side-effects in elderly people. There are many cases in which drugs should not be used together and others in which two medicines can be taken together although an interaction can occur. This is why patients should inform their doctor or pharmacist if they are using other medicines which need to be applied on the same area of the skin. The existence of other medical disorder may affect the use of this medicine