skin disorders
Dermatitis Herpetiformis
Treatment of Dermatitis Herpetiformis
Gluten-free diet Dapsoneand sometimes other drugs The blisters do not go away without treatment. People are usually placed on a gluten-free diet (a diet that is free of wheat, rye, and barley), which is the main Treatment . The drugdapsone, taken by mouth, almost always provides relief in 1 to 3 days but requires that blood counts be checked regularly becausedapsonecan cause anemia. Sulfapyridine (or, alternatively,sulfasalazine) is also taken by mouth and may be given to people who cannot toleratedapsone. However, sulfapyridine can cause anemia and low numbers of white blood cells (increasing the risk of infection) and also requires that blood counts be checked regularly. Once the disease has been brought under control with drugs and people have followed a strict gluten-free diet, drug treatment can sometimes be discontinued. However, some people can never stop taking the drugs. In most people, any re-exposure to gluten, however small, triggers another outbreak. A gluten-free diet that is strictly followed for 5 to 10 years decreases the risk of Small-Intestine Cancer . 