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Gluten-free diets have a become a standard part of therapy for dermatitis herpetiformis, often in conjunction with oral sulfones or sulfonamides, but there is some controversy about the benefit of the diet. These authors report their experience with the use of gluten-free diets in treating 212 patients diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis over a 25-year period (1967 to 1992).
The diet was followed by 133 patients. Seventy-eight of these patients had complete clearing of their rash with diet alone, while the majority of the remaining 55 patients were able to reduce the dose of medication needed to control their disease. Patients who lapsed on the diet more than once per week were considered to be on a normal diet; 10% of patients on a norm…