Dermatitis herpetiformis symptoms may be the first sign that a patient has developed this potentially very painful disease. Discovered in 1884 by Dr. Louis Duhring, this blistering skin condition can be very intense and it can take a long time for a patient to recover completely. The causes are relatively unknown, but there is a direct connection between gluten intolerance and development of a herpetiformis dermatitis rash. For most patients, an outbreak of the herpetiformis dermatitis symptoms will occur after they have eaten a product with gluten as one of the ingredients. These foods can be difficult to avoid as gluten is a primary component of wheat and other cereals as they are used in many prepared foods. The condition of dermatitis herpetiformis, or DH for short, is different from a simple allergy to gluten or wheat products.
There are not many individual herpetiformis dermatitis symptoms and the majority of patients will only experience one. However, that one symptom can be very problematic. The main symptom of DH is a herpetiformis dermatitis rash. The rash consists of many small blisters that appear to be filled with water. The blisters are, in fact, similar to herpes blisters in appearance, hence the name. The two types of blisters are not related and there is no connection between a herpes infection and the disease of DH. These blisters cause a stinging sensation and are incredibly itchy. The desire to scratch these blisters can be very great, causing many patients to further the size of the rash by causing an eruption of the blisters through the act of scratching. The stinging feeling and the need to scratch the affected areas can actually precede the formation of the blisters. DH is not constrained to a single part of the body and a person can develop multiple rashes in different areas. Most commonly, the points of pressure on a body are affected, including the knees, elbows, and neck. The back, head, and rear end are also common areas for a DH rash. Other than the blisters, there are no other prominent symptoms of the condition.
Treating DH can be an exercise in patience. Once a rash has been developed, the patient will need to refrain from scratching the area until a local doctor has been consulted. The doctor will perform a biopsy to determine the amount of IgA antibodies that are present. After identification of the rash as being caused by DH, the doctor will recommend that the patient begin taking the medication dapsone as a form of treatment. Response to the drug is very quick, with many patients experiencing relief from the blisters within two to three days. In addition, the person will need to modify their eating behaviors by removing gluten products from the diet to avoid the recurrence of dermatitis herpetiformis symptoms.