Dh Or Psoriasis?

[Vicky-1989]

I've read everywhere that DH is extremely itchy, but mine is only itchy when it first appears. It usually starts off as a small blister (which is itchy) but once the blister goes, it's not itchy at all. My mum thinks it's psoriasis but I'm not sure. I don't seem to get it really bad either, just small patches.

This was in July 2012:

http://i49.tinypic.com/34pdl5t.webp

http://i48.tinypic.com/21dphm8.webp

This how it usually starts, just a tiny blister type spot:

http://i47.tinypic.com/d4s8.webp

This is from today:

http://i50.tinypic.com/27zdgqo.webp

I've also got it on my face at the moment, but didn't really want to take a picture. I only seem to get it on my left hand/arm, legs and face but recently had a patch on my tail bone.

Any information/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[squirmingitch]

Looks a lot like dh to me. I don't believe psoriasis blisters. Does yours burn or sting? Tail bone is a classic place for dh to present. You might be lucky so far in that it doesn't drive you nuts itching ---- yet. How long do the lesions usually last before they heal?

Oh, gee, I see now you are dx'd celiac ---- in that case you have dh. You've been gluten-free since 2011 ---- that explains why it doesn't drive you bonkers itching. You are getting cc'd somewhere & that's why the dh is showing up. Go over everything --- everything & try to figure out where the cc is coming from. DH is very, very sensitive to the smallest amount of gluten.

[lovegrov]

Hmm, looks somewhat like DH but if you think you've been pretty strict about your diet, it also could be something else. My psoriasis started after I went gluten-free. I also get little blisters like that on my hands (and nowhere else) occasionally but It is NOT DH. Anyway, a decent dermatologist should be able to tell pretty easily.

richard

[bartfull]

I have palmoplantar pustular psoriasis. It only shows up on the palms of my hands and around the heels and bottoms of my feet. There is also a generalized pustular psoriasis that can show up on any part of the body. In both cases, the pustules look like whithead pimples. After a day or three they turn into little red spots. As they heal, the skin will crack and peel.

If your pustules don't look like whitehead pimples, that's not what you have.

[Vicky-1989]

Looks a lot like dh to me. I don't believe psoriasis blisters. Does yours burn or sting? Tail bone is a classic place for dh to present. You might be lucky so far in that it doesn't drive you nuts itching ---- yet. How long do the lesions usually last before they heal?

Oh, gee, I see now you are dx'd celiac ---- in that case you have dh. You've been gluten-free since 2011 ---- that explains why it doesn't drive you bonkers itching. You are getting cc'd somewhere & that's why the dh is showing up. Go over everything --- everything & try to figure out where the cc is coming from. DH is very, very sensitive to the smallest amount of gluten.

It burns as the blister appears but as soon as the blister goes and the "rash" appears, it seems to be fine. The patch on tail bone, however, is extremely itchy - especially at night. They take a long time to heal (4-6 weeks) but I generally take ages to heal anyway.

I had some BBQ Rib Doritos at the weekend and I think that's where the CC came from - there's no gluten containing ingredients but they're made in a factory that handles gluten. I know I shouldn't have eaten them, but I guess I'll learn from my mistakes!

Hmm, looks somewhat like DH but if you think you've been pretty strict about your diet, it also could be something else. My psoriasis started after I went gluten-free. I also get little blisters like that on my hands (and nowhere else) occasionally but It is NOT DH. Anyway, a decent dermatologist should be able to tell pretty easily.

richard

As I said to the above poster, I'm pretty sure it was the BBQ Rib Doritos that I was CC'd with. My mum and a bunch of my cousins have psoriasis so that's why I assumed it was that, but with the Coeliac I thought I'd get a few opinions. I guess if it gets worse, I'll see a dermatologist. Thanks!

I have palmoplantar pustular psoriasis. It only shows up on the palms of my hands and around the heels and bottoms of my feet. There is also a generalized pustular psoriasis that can show up on any part of the body. In both cases, the pustules look like whithead pimples. After a day or three they turn into little red spots. As they heal, the skin will crack and peel.

If your pustules don't look like whitehead pimples, that's not what you have.

I looked up palmoplantar pustular psoriasis and it doesn't look like that at all. Looks very painful though, I feel for you!

[bartfull]

I looked up palmoplantar pustular psoriasis and it doesn't look like that at all. Looks very painful though, I feel for you!

Thanks. It is very painful, but the good news is that as long as I stay away from gluten, soy, most forms of corn, and foods high in salicylates, it goes away completely.

[Vicky-1989]

Thanks. It is very painful, but the good news is that as long as I stay away from gluten, soy, most forms of corn, and foods high in salicylates, it goes away completely.

I'm glad you're able to prevent it.

[Really good scratcher]

I have had spots like those too. My blisters are long gone, but my skin still itches like crazy. I wish my skin did not itch so much. My skin now peels and is very dry. I have been mis-diagnosed with Psoriasis several times. A skin biopsy in one spot done last year did show a small amount of Psoriasis once. But my next dermatologist said it was definitely not Psoriasis. I have several friends with Psoriasis, and none of my skin areas look like theirs do. I am puzzled as to what is really going on. I am thinking it is just a form of Gluten Intolerance.

[mushroom]

Psoriasis takes many different forms. Pustular, guttate, etc., etc. I suppose it is theoretcally possible to have both psoriasis and DH, although usually one seems to have one or the other. Have you looked at pictures of all the different forms of psoriasis and of DH? Generally, looking at these pictures, you can find something that matches what yours looks like. Psoriasis does not tend to scar; DH does tend to scar although there are variations that do not leave scarring. Psoriasis itches like cracy but generally does not hurt; DH generally does both. Do some googling and see what you can come up with is my best advice.

[Ha an]

Did you figure out what it is?? I have the same exact thing on my hands! I recently found out I have celiac but I still have joint pain and my rheumatologist never said for sure what I have but they are leaning toward psoriatic arthritis. But I just recently got this rash on my hands and it has been there for a month with little improvement. I just wish my doctor could make a decision and get this fixed. Cutting out gluten has helped immensely but I still have issues!! 

[cyclinglady]

11 hours ago, Ha an said:

Did you figure out what it is?? I have the same exact thing on my hands! I recently found out I have celiac but I still have joint pain and my rheumatologist never said for sure what I have but they are leaning toward psoriatic arthritis. But I just recently got this rash on my hands and it has been there for a month with little improvement. I just wish my doctor could make a decision and get this fixed. Cutting out gluten has helped immensely but I still have issues!! 

Welcome!

First, give the gluten free diet time.  Did you know most celiacs take over a year to heal?  Why?  Because most make dietary mistakes.  Cross contamination is a huge problem.  I would recommend a diet of non-processed foods and do not eat out until you see significant improvement.  I have been at this over five years and I never go out unless it is a 100% dedicated gluten-free restaurant.  Look for additional food intolerances that are commonly associated with celiac disease too by keeping a journal.  

This strategy works.  My gut has healed per my last endoscopy.  

If your diet is not helping with your possible psoriatic arthritis, consider the Autoimmune Paleo diet.  It has been documented to help IBD patients.  They are looking to study other autoimmune disorders with this diet.  It can not hurt!  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5647120/

 

[Posterboy]

Ha An,

I came across some research that might help you.

Older research is sometimes disregarded but if it was done well can be helpful.

This is from JAMA and the Arch(ives) of Dermatology.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/539454

If research is "good research" it is often repeated years later with just a slight different take too see what and if about the older research was good.

Here is newer research confirming the earlier findings concerning a vitamins use in treating various skin issues.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24993939

they note "Clinical data for its therapeutic use in various dermatoses can increasingly be found in the literature" but I might argue it is often overlooked today because old(er) research needs to be passed on too the next generation and if it isn't their is a "generation gap" in knowledge of well designed older research that needs to be rediscovered by medical clinicians today so as to not repeat the same "old" mistakes.

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."

2 Timothy 2:7

Posterboy by the grace of God,

[apprehensiveengineer]

I get lesions like those that OP attached on my hands when I get glutened, usually on the joints by my fingers. I have not had my skin biopsied, but I'm otherwise (symptoms, presentation, sensitivity etc.) consistent with DH.

In my case, I find that my lesions start to appear more distally (farther away from the core regions of my body) the worse I have been glutened. If I get a lighter exposure, most of it will be limited to my "core" (back, neck, scalp, chest and butt). If I get hit very badly, it will also "spread" further out to my elbows, knees, and joints on my hands.

My ankles, knees, and joints in my hands often become visibly swollen and more difficult/impossible to move through a normal range of motion (I will have difficulty walking/running normally). This subsides slowly over a few days after I've been exposed to gluten.

Many autoimmune diseases have overlaps in symptoms, or can over co-occur or progress into different ones. I have an aunt who has HT, celiac disease/DH and was undiagnosed for a long time/still doesn't eat gluten-free strictly enough, and now she is having progressive issues with RA. It might be worth being tested for celiac and/or DH via blood test/biopsy. You could have any combination of AI diseases, or maybe just celiac/DH (which can cause joint symptoms). You will need to eat gluten to have accurate testing done, though.

In any case, if you find that the GFD helps your issues (after you've queried celiac disease/DH) you might need to be very conservative with it in order to eliminate all your symptoms. I was following all the conventional guidelines for a celiac-safe GFD, but still having issues - better than before for sure, but still rash-y and iron deficient. Avoiding eating out at conventional restaurants/catered events, avoiding food prepared by family/friends unless I watched them do so/inspected ingredients, and being more selective about what brands I used for high risk of contamination foods (eg. gluten-free alternative foods, grains, spices, nuts, seeds, highly processed foods) helped a lot. It helps to keep a simple diet for a bit, then experiment with individual products/brands so that you can isolate whether it's causing problems or not.