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Dh And Iodine Test

crimsonviolet

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crimsonviolet Apprentice
crimsonviolet
Posted

I've had this weird itchy rash that comes and goes on the inside of one elbow since shortly after my 2nd son was born, so almost 3 years now. I just chalked it up to eczema, even though I could never find a pic of eczema that looked anything like it.

I started researching gluten free and I think I've finally found the answer with DH. Wow... my rash looks just like the pics! But it's in an odd place so I wasn't sure it was DH.

I decided to do the iodine test. I got the 2% iodine solution, soaked a bandaid, and put it on my arm near my rash. I had to take it off after about 30 minutes - it was intensely painful, and my arm was clearly badly burned in the shape of the bandaid. I figured I just did something stupid, after all the interwebz clearly says that iodine can burn skin, right? It was horribly painful, so I washed my arm with soap and water, coated the burn with castor oil, and wrapped it in a wet cloth overnight. This helped a lot with the pain, and in the morning I took off the cloth to find that I still had a bright red rectangle on my arm. Now, less than 24 hours later, a few blisters are popping up on the site, and my nearby rash has gotten quite bad.

Is this a positive test for DH, or did I just give myself a nasty chemical burn?

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rdunbar Explorer
rdunbar
Posted

you said itchy, but is it really really itchy almost all the time?

DH is super itchy to the point of being more painful than just itchy like a mosquito bite itchy.Also, it kind of "erupts" when it flares up, and oozes.

I just found out about how iodine makes DH worse recently after suffering for years, so I'm not sure if the rash would react to iodine being applied topically.

now I'm realizing that when I've eaten lots of iodine (seafood, ect...)it got much worse.

Of course, the best test is to go 100% gluten free in your diet and lifestyle, but another one of the frustrating things about DH is that it can take up to 2 years to go away if you can manage to aviod gluten and probably casien too.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

That does sound like a positive DH test IMHO. You did it correctly. The inside of the elbow and the backs of the knees are common places for it to show up. I at one point had DH lesions covering my legs and arms but after a couple of years it would show up just in the inside bend areas of my arms and legs. DH lesions are usually bilateral but not always. If you still have an active rash you could go to a derm and ask for them to specifically test for DH. The test would biopsy the area next to the lesion not the lesion itself.

crimsonviolet Apprentice
crimsonviolet
Posted
  • Author

Yep, when I get a flare up it burns and itches like mad. I scratch, and the lesions erupt and crust and flake and then I'm left with this nasty patch of brownish skin in the area. I'm usually very pale, so it's pretty noticeable but luckily the discoloration fades quickly. At least until the next flare...

Just out of curiosity, I had hubby do the skin test. I soaked a bandaid, and he applied it to his abdomen. He left it on for almost 24 hours and had NO discomfort. Took it off and has a patch of stained brown skin, no redness, no irritation. That was really eye-opening for me. I do think he's gluten-intolerant as well, but he has no evidence of DH.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Yep, when I get a flare up it burns and itches like mad. I scratch, and the lesions erupt and crust and flake and then I'm left with this nasty patch of brownish skin in the area. I'm usually very pale, so it's pretty noticeable but luckily the discoloration fades quickly. At least until the next flare...

Just out of curiosity, I had hubby do the skin test. I soaked a bandaid, and he applied it to his abdomen. He left it on for almost 24 hours and had NO discomfort. Took it off and has a patch of stained brown skin, no redness, no irritation. That was really eye-opening for me. I do think he's gluten-intolerant as well, but he has no evidence of DH.

Lucky hubby. I hope things improve soon for you. The longer you are gluten free the more the antibodies will leave your skin. Eventually your flareups will be mild as long as your not getting CC'd very often. It took a while but now when I get glutened I only get a couple little blisters that go away really quick.

  • 2 months later...
crimsonviolet Apprentice
crimsonviolet
Posted
  • Author

Just realized I never added to this thread... a few days after hubby's "negative" test, I noticed that his skin at the test site was peeling like mad. It never did "blister" but the test certainly caused some skin damage. Now the question is, what does that really mean?

He's become increasingly sensitive to gluten since he took it out of his diet, so needless to say we're staying gluten-free.

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