Scott R.A. Walsh PhD, MD, Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook & Womens College Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto Medical School, Toronto, Ontario.
Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a pruritic and chronic autoimmune blistering skin disease associated with varying degrees of gluten-induced enteropathy. Associated symptomatic celiac disease (CD) occurs in a minority of patients, but the pathogenesis of both diseases shares several features. In addition to some features of enteropathy, patients with DH also form specific antibodies to epidermal transglutaminase not typically found in patients with only CD. Although incidence is highest in middle age, because it is a life-long condition its prevalence is highest in the older population. Chronic complications of DH, including gastrointestinal lymphomas, are more likely to present in the geriatric group. Similarly, common comorbid disease associations including pernicious anemia, splenic atrophy and thyroid disease should be routinely assessed in this population. Long-term treatment of DH requires strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. Symptomatic treatment of this skin disease commonly uses dapsone to inhibit neutrophil accumulation and disease expression. Older patients may be more susceptible to toxic side effects of dapsone metabolites, and both careful patient selection and close monitoring should be undertaken with dapsone treatment.
Key words: dermatitis herpetiformis, autoimmunity, anemia, comorbidities, dapsone.
