<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi All--

So sorry to be tardy in posting a reply to my question about whether or
not one gets the systemic/gastrointestinal symptoms of celiac when they
have an outbreak of DH - or does DH occur, otherwise, symptom-free? I
had many responses and people who were interested in the summary, so
here it is...edited somewhat to get at the most basic information.

Thanks to everyone who responded! I received much valuable info from
everyone!  Ayn.

As I understand it, you may have DH and no other symptoms, or DH and all
the other symptoms, or DH and any of the other symptoms in combination.

People with DH can have intestinal damage as well. Perhaps that's where
your other symptoms are coming from. Sounds like DH to me!

My only intestinal symptom was nausea, racing heart, sweating after
eating certain foods (of course this was before I was diagnosed).

My blisters would occur on my elbows and knees and looked like small
grape like blisters that would itch and after breaking, would look like
skinned knees or elbows.

Let a good dermotologist look at the skin problem.. My dermotologist was
the one that diagonosed my dh which meant I had cd and I went on a gf
diet. If you have dh you need to whtch everything that touches your
skin.

My only symptoms that I recall were only the herpes in my shins, knees &
forearms. For a few years anyway.  The blisters would return
periodically (always symetrically, on both arms at about the same
location, or both shins, again with symetry). [After diagnosis of CS]  I
had no symptoms.  My internal med DR. picked up an irregularity in my
blood screen.  My only symptom after a biopsy and mistakenly eating
gluten products remains bloating, gas, diaharrea.  Interestingly, I
haven't experienced any DH symptoms for almost 20 years.

Absolutely, we can get all those.  I have DH 7 years and starting 2
years ago I now also can get the classic celiac gut reaction.

My husband has DH.....mostly his only symptom. He gets tiny blisters
that usually crop up equally on both sides of the body.......the thing
about DH is that it is one of the most itchy rashes there
is....horrible. He breaks out on knees, elbows, back of neck, groin,
thighs, feet, anywhere basically. It indicates of course a gluten
reaction. If you soak in epsoms salt and paroxide, that helps clear up
the rash quicker.

DH manifests itself typically on knees, butts, and elbows.  I have read
that when the body is unhappy with some toxin, it tries to get rid of it
in lots of ways...and one of the ways is to manifest its displeasure on
the outside (skin).  Now when I accidentally eat gluten, I don't get the
rash anymore (I only had it for about a week right after I went GF), but
my abdoment still swells up horribly (elastic pants and skirts for me!)
That's my first signal.  Then most of the time pain or achiness and
upset tummy. Anyhow, I thought you would like to know that the rash and
the swelling can be at the same time and point to the same culprit.

Sounds like DH.  I get it under my arms, all over my back, middle of the
chest, back of legs, elbows, knees, behind knees, groin area, etc.  The
cure (not really but supposed reduction in DH outbreaks) is the same as
CD. Gluten free.  Als oget small amounts of sunlight on the affected
area. Take a maxi-B (a gluten-free one) every day.  DH is supposedly the
same as CD.  Cd affects the guts more than DH where DH affects the skin.