Dermatitis herpetiformis and celiac disease

Abstract

Dermatitis herpetiformis is an autoimmune chronic blistering disease, considered a skin manifestation of celiac disease. Being both conditions multifactorial, they share some genetic traits and pathogenic mechanisms, which are responsible for the typical skin and gastrointestinal manifestations. In dermatitis herpetiformis, skin and other lesions heal after gluten-free diet and reappear shortly after its reintroduction to complete diet. Prevalence of celiac disease is 1% in the population, and approximately 13% of patients with the disease develop dermatitis herpetiformis. Diagnosis of celiac disease has progressively increased in recent decades, while clinical manifestations become more and more diverse. Given the current high frequency of skin lesions in celiac patients, in this review we update relevant aspects of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentations, treatment and follow up of dermatitis herpetiformis, as a contribution to improve the management of both conditions.