Hi. My 5-year-old was diagnosed with celiac disease last July. He didn't have any noticeable gastro-intestinal issues, but had horrific eczema with terrible itching and little sores. When he went gluten-free the little sores cleared up, but not the eczema. His mood and energy level were much better, though. He was not officially diagnosed with DH, but since he didn't have the gastro problems I thought that could be what he had.

2 days ago he accidentally ate some potato chips that we belatedly discovered had wheat in them. He ate enough that he got a good dose of gluten. We didn't notice any problems until last night (about 48 hours after the accidental ingestion) when he woke up with an "itching attack". The little guy could not stop scratching. I put some lotion on him and laid down with him in bed and he went to sleep pretty quickly. This morning he seems fine and hasn't been scratching at all.

I don't know if the middle of the night itching attack is related to the accidental gluten exposure or not. It could be he started itching because it's so dry out -- no humidity.

How fast do you DH sufferers reaction to accidental gluten ingestions? Does it always happen right away, or is it possible to have a delayed reaction?

Thanks,

CarrieLynn

every person is different and every "attack" is different. So, yes, it is entirely possible to have a delayed reaction. It is also possible that he may not show any outward symptoms at all, but it doesn't mean that his insides aren't being damaged. I'm not an expert on DH, just a mom with Celiac and a five year old daughter with Celiac... my daughter's accidental gluten ingestion reactions vary from tummy pain and attitude problems to rashes all over her body and hives... she gets the itching too.

Hi Carrielynn,

I agree with nini. Everyone can react different at different times. For example, somedays I can tolerate certain foods with no reactions and the next time...bam...itchy rash, diarrhea...all that fun stuff!
There's no rhyme or reason to it!

My teen usually gets sick the next day after ingesting gluten. Main symptoms diarrhea, and moodiness! Not fun...I always know when he's been glutened!

Charlene

Thanks for all your replies.

I should add that he itches all the time anyway... that's been a constant for several years now. We hoped that would go away when he went gluten-free but it didn't. But it was weird that he woke up in the middle of the night with an itching "attack". My husband told me that the humidity is at 25%, so his skin is probably super dry, which could have caused the attack.

Who knows. On one hand it would be nice if he had a standard gastro reaction so we would know when the accidental glutening happens. On the other hand I guess it's nice he doesn't have bad gastro problems (that we know about).

--Carrie

VERY Interesting reading up on your post about hte "itch attack" I myself often have "itch attacks" and hadnt had one in a few days, then last night when I ate some of my grandmothers homemade cookies (hadnt had gluten for atleast 5 days before that) I just freaked out! I was up for a good 2 hours or so itching like mad and in the fetal posiiton because it was so bad, then the "fever like symptoms" kicked in with dizziness and sweating. I was blood tested 4 days ago for DH and I will find out soon whether it is positive or not. I have extremely peely hands and dermotographia.

It usually happens within an hour or so with me. But, like your son, I break out from gluten, but don't have noticeable GI issues. I have been diagnosed with celiac, so I know it's there, but even when I get glutened and have itchiness, I do not get a stomach ache or bad D, or any reactions like that. Also, I had DH since I was a kid, but celiac symptoms did not show up until after the birth of my son. So that could explain why the absence of GI reactions. I find that aloe vera helps a lot if I have a reaction.

Lisa

I have both DH and celiac disease. Most of my blister outbreaks and itching attacks happen within 24 hours of ingesting gluten, but not always. I never used to have any GI issues until I went gluten-free. Now, whenever I get glutened, I have both the DH outbreak as well as the GI. The one lotion that I have found that helps the itching temporarily, is Gold Bond Medicated (Extra Strength I think). The menthol is very soothing. Before I was diagnosed, I was using Aveeno medicated thinking that it helped, and never figured out why I seemed to get worse a few hours after rubbing it on. After dx, I figured it out - apparently the oats in the Aveeno were giving me a reaction! I hope your son feels better.

I get very itchy after getting gluten. Deep in my ears itch too. It makes me nuts. I wasn't diagnosed with DH but all my rashes and blisters went completly away on the gluten free diet. It only comes back after getting gluten.
My 5 year old also gets very itchy at night. He hates it. I put lotion on him but I sometimes wonder if he is allergic to something he is eating. I am very careful with not giving him gluten. Since we also have a lot of food allergies I get worried he might have developed a new one. Have you had your son tested for any new allergies?