aetiology
Last reviewed 01/2018
DH is an immunobullous condition - meaning an abnormal immunological reaction is the cause of the blistering eruption (1).
There is a strong association with gluten enteropathy. Both DH and coeliac disease
- share the same HLA haplotypes (DQ2 and DQ8)
- respond to a gluten free diet (2)
DH is also associated with thyroid and other autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes mellitus
- this can be explained by the presence of associated alleles such as HLA-DR3, HLAB8, and HLA-A1(3)
Reference:
- (1) Primary Care Dermatology Society (PCDS). Dermatitis herpetiformis (Accessed 20/03/2017)
- (2) Antiga E, Caproni M.The diagnosis and treatment of dermatitis herpetiformis. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2015;8:257-65.
- (3) Herrero-González JE. Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of dermatitis herpetiformis. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2010;101(10):820-6.