I have this rash on my leg and on other parts of my body. When I scratch it feels like a burning sensation. I have the Graves Disease

[Princess961]

Need to know what going on with my body

[Ell17]

Hi Princess961,

It looks like Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) or gluten rash. It's the skin manifestation of Celiac Disease. (My lower legs look exactly like this during a flare.) It generally shows up on your skin in your 30s to 40s, but it can happen at any age. (You can have CD without ever developing DH, but not vice versa.) Your system attacks the gluten antibodies that are deposited (and stay) under the skin. [In the right light you can clearly see the antibodies that haven't been activated yet under the skin --- amorphous shaped circles with dots in the center....They are visible on your leg in the picture you posted.]

Every exposure to gluten excites your immune system for three months -- (pubmed -- and personal experience ). The rash takes that long to calm and subside, but every reexposure will flare the rash and start the whole awful process again.

The DH rash can burn, itch, and crust/scab over when scratched. It is purplish red in color due to constant inflammation. The papules themselves have clear fluid inside. The rash can be on any part of the body (even the face), but frequently affects the arms (especially forearms), lower legs, lower back, butt, upper shoulders, and neck.

The only treatment is lifelong avoidance of gluten (wheat, barley, rye), and due to molecular mimicry, possible avoidance of several other foods (like dairy and oats) that your system may view as gluten because of their similar protein structures to gluten.

DH is diagnosed by taking a biopsy of the adjacent, uninflamed skin containing the dormant, oftentimes easily visible antibodies, not the active rash itself. Of course, finding a dermatologist nowadays that knows how to do it, or knows what he is actually looking at under the microscope, is a difficult task (in the US, at least). That is why taking a blood test while actively eating gluten is probably your best bet for a diagnosis of Celiac. (Then the DH diagnosis won't be too much of a mental leap.) While your rash is raging and you are still eating gluten, your antibodies will be higher providing better odds, hopefully. It's much harder when you have avoided gluten and then have to begin eating it again for testing. The systemic reaction and DH can be much worse. A diagnosis will not change anything, mind you. But, it will offer validation, which is good to have if you can get it. That said, it is by no means a necessity. [If you eliminate gluten and you improve, then you don't need a diagnosis to tell you that it causes problems and you can't eat it anymore.]

Just be aware that the Celiac blood test can still show false negative. You can be Celiac and not get a diagnosis. But, if this is truly DH, then you are Celiac.

So, my advice is to go to your GP (for the blood test) and dermatologist. You need to know what is going on, regardless. And maybe it will turn out to be something entirely different that is more easily resolved. I truly hope so. But, if it turns out to be CD/DH, then you are in good company on this forum. You will get some actionable advice from people who navigate this maze everyday.

All the best.😊

[jay1236]

Check for diabetes 2. Check with Doc.