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Sorry for the delay.  I received a lot of replies to my query.  Below are
excerpts from the majority of them.  I would say, in summary, the gist of
the answers boil down to: DH has varying symptoms, many possible causes
(including topical gluten applications, iodine), and varying times of
occurrence after gluten ingestion/contact.  I am satisfied -- without
microscopic analysis, that I have DH.  Many thanks to those who shared their
experiences.

Leif


.... it sounds more like a rash brought on by something you're allergic
to. Other than DH, it not common for celiac to get rashes from ingestion of
gluten.

.....Dh eruptions may or may not be symmetrical and are not only due to
foodstuffs, but also shampoos, creams, etc anything the skin comes in
contact with. The eruptions do not necessarily occur where the skin touched
or came in contact with a product containing gluten

....As careful as I am, I still can't help but wonder if those minor attacks
were from hidden gluten from an unknown source, possibly creating a 'build
up' in the skin but not enough to produce gastrointestinal symptoms.

....I often have little white blisters on my arms only, and I too think
that I watch my diet carefully, but you would be surprised where gluten
can and does hide.

....You might want to try exfoliating your skin with a loofah sponge.  It
sounds like dead skin cells that have built up on your arms.  I sometimes
get this on my upper arms and when I exfoliate they go away.  What type of
shampoo do you use?  Check if there is any wheat in it

....I've been strictly gluten free and impossible to get any gluten and I
have DH on my scalp at times I keep it under control by rinsing my hair with
vinegar and hot water

....Only that I have similar experience unexplained by the Doctor

....I have the same symptom and it is DH.  There are no two celiacs who
present with the same symptoms in the same way.  I thought I didn't have DH
because I didn't look "like the pictures" I saw on the web.  I always got it
behind the neck in the hairline and on one arm only.  I didn't get these
huge gaping wounds which people told me about.  I got raised skin at first.
Now I get it anywhere, from on my chest or back, to one arm only, to perhaps
on the buttocks.  I met a woman at a Celiac meeting recently who got it in
the genital area.  The best thing I did was to show it to a dermatologist
who took a scraping, and also was able to inform me about this devastating
problem.

A doctor can prescribe medication, but they are so powerful and have side
effects.  I am using Tea Tree Oil, diluted with a bit of water. Be care as
some Tea Tree Oils which are not all natural contain grain alcohol, which
aggravates DH.  Be careful of cortisone creams, which stays in the liver
forever.

Best advice is, if you can do it, not to scratch and spread it and make
scars.  I have done it is and am now healing from a very bad attack over
this summer.  Sometimes I get it if I use hair care products which contain
wheat proteins. Sometimes it comes when I accidentally ingest some gluten.
Gluten will sneak in now and again.


....DH can occur almost anywhere, but knees and elbows are the most
common.  DH can flare up for the first time even after being GF for
years.  If the bumps are itchy or painful, it seems that DH is
a possibility.  Generic white bumps like acne can be related, too,
but are not typical for most.

...If I were you, the first thing I'd ask myself is, how itchy are the
blisters?  DH makes you want to peel your skin off.  And if you scratch
it once, the itching gets worse.


....I have DH (since year ago July) and realized this summer that no matter
how GF one is, heat can bring on the rash.  From June until recently, I've
struggled.  Also, they say that for a period of time (some say up to 2
years; some say even more) the IgA deposits will surface until it leaves
your system.  All of my rash is symmetrical or centered (back of scalp),
except for one spot only on my right calf. (?)  I intend, very soon, to pose
some questions on our list to all DH people, and maybe we can learn more
from each other.  For example, I'm wondering if anybody is treated by a
truly experienced dermatologist who knows more than most.

....I get the same, however the scalp lesions are always there and have been
for many years, before I was aware of having DH.  I was actually asked by
Prof. Wojnarowska at the Radcliffe Hosp. Oxford - a DH expert, whether I had
scalp lesions.  I replied quickly no as I had had them for many years.  I
now presume that they are part of the symptomatology.  I am a medic.  They
are not in any literature that I can find.  I also used to have a really
furry tongue which has disappeared.  this is not in the books either.  I do
not think anyone has looked at DH much.. it is recognised as a cause of
mouth ulcers which I also had and they disappeared.  Some dentists know
this in the UK, but very few.  It took my medic friends 6 years to diagnose
it.  Eventually a dermatologist walked up to me in a party and said that I
had DH and walked off again.  He did not know me. I did not think that I
could have DH as there were apparently no symptoms in my parents.

....Are you getting iodine in your diet??   Iodine can trigger DH.

....I have DH as a primary indicator of Celiac disease. If I ingest anything
that has gluten in it I will have an outbreak of DH in the next day or so.
It is my opinion that DH tends to move around. As I had it for a long time
it was on my elbows and knees during the early years. Then it moved to other
parts of my arms, legs and scalp. I think it goes where it has not gone
before. You say blister  I say DH

....Keep in mind that a med. can irritate your skin regardless of its gluten
status. You might also take a look at the possible side effects, see if skin
irritation isn't one

....I have the same problem -on both arms and now behind my ears.
I contribute to certain the rash on my arms to dish soap -I cannot use
antibacterial dish soap or any antibacterial soap. My rash comes and goes.
As for the dry patches behind my ears -I thought it might be due to the
start of a new seizure medication.

....I have DH also and am 100% gluten free.  I get this also especially
on my elbows and back of my head - very itchy - I read that stress can
cause the DH to flair up and I have noticed that it happens to me when I
am stressed.

....Yes  I can link my flare ups with gluten.  There are times when I am
clear of the rash. Then it returns.  When it gets real bad I take
Dapsone and that seem to take the edge off of it.  Mine look like tiny
fluid filled blisters, and the only relief  I get is when I break the
blisters open.