<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
On 12/6 I asked the following question:
*Is it possible for dermatitis herpetiformis to be misdiagnosed as
psoriasis? And does dh ever affect the scalp?*
The answers rolled in at first, and then trickled in right up to the 23rd.
The overwhelming answer to *both questions* is a resounding *YES.*
Some excerpts from replies:
___________
The simple answer is yes to both questions.
DH is sometimes misdiagnosed as psoriasis, and almost the only place I
ever get DH lesions is on my scalp.
_______________
It is definitely possible for DH to be misdiagnosed as just about
anything--my initial diagnosis was pityriasis rosacea. And, yes, it can
affect your scalp.
____________
The answer is yes to both questions. Psoriasis was my doctors first
guess, and I did not find out till much later that the dandruff in my hair
was not really dandruff. At this time the only time that I have problems
with my scalp is when I have had an accident with my diet. And my DH did
not start off like tha regular blisters that are usually associated with
DH, but rather a rash and little red bumps
Also you should that if your doctor does not know how to take biopsies
for DH they will get a false negative. The biopsies should be taken near
the outbreaks, but not on the outbreaks.
_______________
Yes and Yes. I had a terrible break out on my scalp. Two dermatologists,
scoped it and determined that it was a non-specific dermatitis. Duh! Along
with it I had breakout on my arms. They gave me some Ketoconosol (sp?) which
helped keep the secondary infection down from unconscious scratching. When
I went GF it disappeared immediately. However, I have had some minor scalp
breakouts, but they seemed to peak at a far lower level and now have no
problem with it. My understanding is that DH never really goes away
totally
_______________
I learned from a doctor who has DH- yes, it is definitely misdiagnosed as
psoriasis.
________________
My DH was first misdiagnosed as psoriasis by a general practitioner / family
doc. He had me on creams that were making it worse. It was not until I went
to the dermatology clinic at a teaching hospital that they diagnosed the DH.
And yes, DH most commonly affects the elbows, knees, buttocks, and scalp.
__________________
They look and feel totally different. And you can have both. I have DH
on my chin, psoriasis on my elbows and scalp. Psoriasis has silvery
scales and may weep which gives a crust. DH goes red and pimply - watery
pimply - no silvery scales at all, and in my experience burns and itches
more.
Both my dermatitis and psoriasis are barometers of my gluten intake -
one crumb and kapow, DH all over my chin. After a while, a patch of
psoriasis will appear.
The diagnosis of DH relies on the histology of a biopsy, with IgA
deposits being found in the subcutaneous tissue.
_____________
I have both DH and CD, I went years without any of the various doctors I
showed my rashes to coming up with the correct diagnosis. They kept telling
me to use over the counter meds, like hydrocortisone. I bought so many
ointments and none worked. I actually went to a dermatologist for around 8
months before he came up with DH. So can it be misdiagnosed? I would say a
definite yes.
I had terrible places in my scalp. Of course I scratched and they got worse.
They are gone now after the diet and about a year and a half of dapsone. I
have now gone off the dapsone, not a medicine I wanted to stay on too long,
but it really helped me. My dermotologist finally did a biopsy on a lesion
from my elbow. It came back positive.
_____________________
Yes. The scalp is a common site.
_________________________
An itchy scalp has been one of my most persistant symptoms. The
dermatologist first diagnosed my "hives]"as ecxema but he also did a blood
test and I was found to be anemic. Which led to further tests by other
doctors and concluded with a celiac diagnosis. I usually can tell if I've
accidently eaten gluten when my head starts to itch. [gluten free almost six
years]
______________________
In my experience, I was misdiagnosed with folliculitis (4 or 5 times)
scabies (3 times) psoriasis (twice) eczema (4 times) shingles (twice)
hypochondriasis (seemed to be the true, underlying diagnosis). I was
treated for each of these (with the exception of the hypochondriasis) at
each diagnosis - the only treatment my skin ever responded to was a
Cortisone shot.
If you're fairly certain that you have this, call every dermo in your area
to see if they have any patients with DH. If they don't, you're probably
not going to get the correct biopsy results (possibly would not even know
where to take the samples from - supposed to be the area surrounding current
outbreak, not the blisters themselves). My misdiagnoses spanned three
years, and umpteen different visits to three separate dermos (although all
from the same clinic). They don't 'do' refunds, either.
________________________
Yes, my first Dr. said it was psriosis. yes sometimes I get places at the
hairline.
________________________
My answer is "YES" to both of your questions. I had DH for 30 years and was
told it was ths "Ps" stuff. I had DH blisters in all of the hard spots,
elbows, knees, back, scalp etc. It is not particular where it lands
* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *
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