Herpetiformis dermatitis is a chronic disease that affects the skin and the intestine. It occurs most often in adults. However, the direct relationship between skin lesions and gluten enteropathy is easier to establish in children.
The rash is usually manifested by erythema, hives plaques and especially serous bubbles. They can be isolated or grouped. The onset of the disease can be abrupt or slow, with successive phases that can last for months or even years.
In children, it may or may not be accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting and growth disorders.
Regarding the relationship between celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis, some researchers claim that these two pathologies are closely linked, while others have carried out studies showing that only a small minority of celiac disease patients present with skin symptomatology.
The indications given by the ALIG are valid for celiac disease as well as for dermatitis herpetiformis, although for reasons of fluency of language we will mainly talk about celiac disease.
For two other diseases a gluten-free diet may be necessary: wheat allergy and 'Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity . These are different pathologies to celiac disease, but knowledge of the gluten content of food provides those affected with help in the same way as celiacs.
