Dermatitis herpetiformis
Chronic autoimmune disorder leading to blistering skin / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a chronic autoimmune blistering skin condition,[3] characterised by intensely itchy blisters filled with a watery fluid.[4] DH is a cutaneous manifestation of coeliac disease,[5] although the exact causal mechanism is not known. DH is neither related to nor caused by herpes virus; the name means that it is a skin inflammation having an appearance (Latin: -formis) similar to herpes.
Dermatitis herpetiformis | |
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Other names | Duhring's disease[1][2] |
Characteristic rash of dermatitis herpetiformis | |
Specialty | Dermatology |
The age of onset is usually about 15 to 40, but DH also may affect children and the elderly. Men are slightly more affected than women.[6] Estimates of DH prevalence vary from 1 in 400 to 1 in 10,000. It is most common in patients of northern European and northern Indian ancestry, and is associated with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 along with coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity.[7][8][9][10][11]
Dermatitis herpetiformis was first described by Louis Adolphus Duhring in 1884.[12] A connection between DH and coeliac disease was recognized in 1967.[12][13]