Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring Disease

For the past week and a half I have had an on and off cold-  The whole runny nose, headaches, stiffness, felt like throwing up and a sore throat.  Finally yesterday I started to feel better from my cold in the morning.  However late last night my lips started to swell and feel waxy (does anyone else ever have that?).  Then I got horrible stomach pain and laid in the bathroom by the toilet, feeling like I could throw up any second whole my stomach kept cramping up.  This morning I woke up to my lips not only swollen and waxy feeling but with blisters

I really have no idea what I could have possibly of eaten…the only thing out of the ordinary was some decaf coffee I got from a 7-11 yesterday.  I used regular sugar and some coffee creamer (one that I know if gluten free) so I am at a loss of what else could of caused these annoying (and painful) blisters.

When I was younger and this would happen I would freak out and believe that I had cold sores or something horrible.  Thankfully today I understand that these painful, itchy blisters are caused by a gluten allergic reaction called Dermatitis Herpetiformis.  Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring Disease is”…characterized by grouped excoriations; erythematous, urticarial plaques; and papules with vesicles.”  according to emedicine.medscape.com.  Most places that are affected are on the buttocks, elbows, knees, shoulders and back.  However mine always appear on my lips (rare, but I have heard of other Celiac sufferers having it appear here as well.)  Also according to “Understanding Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring’s Disease” a treatment called “Dapsone” (an antibiotic) has been known to help people suffering from Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Personally I have never tried Dapsone, usually mine will clear up on its own in about a week or so.  I have also tried holding a wet caffeinated tea bag between my lips (when they got really bad).  Tea contains Tannin, which has anti-inflammatory effect.  It worked pretty well for me…otherwise I’m pretty much just stuck with blistering lips that itch and burn for a week.  Keeping them moisturized with petroleum jelly seems to help too so I don’t feel they scrap together.

So here goes another week of swollen and blistering lips…fun fun.