About DH

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) is a gluten-sensitive blistering skin condition which is intensely itchy, even in the presence of a mild rash. DH is not contagious, being a genetically determined condition. The name, dermatitis herpetiformis, is a descriptive name. The rash is not related to either dermatitis or herpes, but is a specific chronic skin condition. The rash may be small lumps, like insect bites (papules), some with tiny fluid filled blisters on top. These small blisters are called vesicles. However it can also appear hive-like, persisting in one area, or it may look like a pink and scaly dermatitis. DH can flare and subside even without treatment. The rash has a characteristic distribution, over the knee cap, on the outer surface of the elbows, on the buttock area, around the ears, the shoulder blades, and in the hairline and eyebrows. It tends to be fairly symmetrically located on the left and right sides of the body. When the rash subsides, which it often does spontaneously, it may leave brown pigmentation or pale areas, where pigmention is lost.

This information taken from The Coeliac Society of Australia