can anyone tell me how long it takes between accidentally eating gluten and the DH rash showing up? i am trying to trace back my foods and figure out what is glutening me. i saw a dermotologist and she said it could be 2 weeks or more between eating the food and the DH rash. however, it seems sooner than that for me. i'm really not sure. is it different with everyone?

i have introduced two new foods into my very limited diet - skippy natural peanut butter which i was told is gluten-free and also wellshire farms turkey beef sticks. i am not sure which one is causing the DH rash. i am going off both just to be safe, but i would like to know which it is.

thank u!

I don't know if this is an individual thing, but I'm happy to share my experiences. I'm still paying attention to my own symptoms to try to nail down a timeline. From my recollections, it goes something like this.

My DH rash is not severe (elbows only, red itchy spots only - hasn't bubbled up much from mild glutenings), but it seems like it shows up 24-48 hours after I ingest gluten. Sometimes I wake up with the spots the day after I had other symptoms of a glutening. Sometimes it seems like it's the second day after a glutening. Sometimes I feel the itch before the spots are visible. I do know that the rash tends to stay around for a while after it shows up. The worst itchiness passes within a few days, but then the thickened skin takes a while to disappear. I frequently get canker sores along with my DH spots.

Taking a hot shower or immersing skin in warm water causes the redness to be more visible and defined.

April

I just found out that my rash is DH so I can't tell you from personal experience. I just stopped eating gluten.

But....I read that the average span of time is 12 weeks but it could be even a couple of years. DH is extremely unpredictible. The rash you have now could be from gluten you ate yesterday or many months ago.
Check out this site:
http://dermatitisherpetiformis.org.uk/

thanks so much for the replies. i was thinking mine was more like april's where it seems to show up within 48 hours (i get it on my elbows too), but that is very interesting about the months later thing and how unpredictable DH is. i know i got glutened at the dentist about 3-4 weeks ago too. yeesh - this is tough figuring it out!

thanks again!

Hi!
I'm new here so I'm sorry for posting so late-I don't know if anyone's even reading this thread still...anyway, when I've been "glutenized" my lips and the inside of my nostrils (weird, huh?) start burning, then the rash happens the next day or two.

Adding to the list of odd things that cause a DH reaction: Aleve (the medicine) It has sent me screaming to the emergency room in the past!

This DH episode, my second in 6 weeks is the worst ever. It started in my eye & face, lip,cheek. I have sores on the palms of my hands & as an last resort, I have reluctantly begun taking Dapsone. I am on day 4 of this rx w/out relief; in fact, the inflammation is spreading to my waist, feet & hands. My fingers are very swollen.
My dermatologist told me it was probably some recipe change in a product I have been eating all along & b/c the addition of wheat gluten is so low, it does not have to be listed as an ingredient.
I am religioulsy particular about my foods & have been on a gluten-free diet for 5 yrs.
I read that the plastic containers, pots, dishes can be contaminated...does anyone know about this?
As well, how long does it take for Dapsone to be effective?
DO I need a higher dose? I am on 50mg/day
Thank you.

The reaction to gluten in the form of DH is going to show up anywhere from an hour to 3 or four days after contact. The antibodies that cause the reaction take a long time to clear out of the skin. The least little bit of gluten will reactive the antibody response causing the sores to appear. After someone has been completely, strictly gluten-free for a couple of years the antibodies will have dissapated. The severity and presentation of the rash will then change.

In my personal experience this took a full 2 years. Now after 5 years strictly gluten-free, that includes my toiletries and soaps etc, when I do get glutened I now get one or two very tiny DH sores that heal quickly. Before this I was constantly covered in DH sores, thought to be poison ivy by some doctors and labeled contact dermatitis by others and even pickers acne. The tiniest but of gluten for the first couple years would result in large oozing sores and a great deal of hair loss. I have clearer and itch free skin now at 50 than I had for my entire life since the DH started at age 4.