Skin Manifestations of Celiac Disease

The document discussed the skin manifestations of celiac disease, particularly focusing on dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). DH was characterized by intensely pruritic papulovesicles and diagnosed by detecting granular IgA in dermal papillae. It had a prevalence of 1.2 to 39.2 per 100,000 and was associated with gluten-sensitive enteropathy, improving with a gluten-free diet. DH predominantly affected those with HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 and was linked to complications like thyroid abnormalities and increased T-cell lymphoma risk. The document also noted that some immune-mediated skin diseases, including alopecia areata, improved with a gluten-free diet, with 1%-2% of alopecia areata patients having celiac disease and some experiencing hair regrowth on the diet. Management of DH included dapsone treatment, which cleared skin lesions but did not affect intestinal abnormalities. Further research on the long-term effects of celiac disease in DH patients was recommended.