Beyond Dermatitis Herpetiformis: A critical review of the role of gluten in dermatoses other than Dermatitis Herpetiformis

The role of gluten has rarely been explored beyond dermatitis herpetiformis. With the latest craze in the diet industry being a gluten free diet, many parents enforce a gluten free diet on their children and seek dermatologists or paediatricians’ opinion s on the same. However, neither any standard textbook nor any review article widely available on the internet focuses on the role of gluten in disorders beyond dermatitis herpetiformis – viz atopic dermatitis, vasculitis, pilofoliculosebaceous disorders like acne, rosacea and chronic urticarial, angioedema etc. This review examines the role of gluten in the causation of these disorders, examines the evidence available thereof and makes practical recommendations as regards a gluten free diet in these disorders. It is hoped that dermatologists will feel more comfortable to make an informed decision when confronted with the question of excluding or retaining gluten in the diet of children afflicted with these disorders.