Spontaneous remission of dermatitis herpetiformis: dietary and gastrointestinal studies

Out of 98 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) living in Gothenburg, 14 were in spontaneous remission (29% of the patients without gluten free diet). Eight of these volunteered for dietary interviews and further studies. They do not seem to differ from symptomatic DH patients in the frequency of HLA-B8, achlorhydria or small-bowel enteropathy. Their estimated mean daily intake of gluten was below 12 g in six. The mean gluten intake of the eight patients in remission is significantly less than in a group of 34 patients with dapsone-requiring DH on non-restricted diet. Urinary iodine excretion was low in five, all previously instructed to restrict their iodine intake. Dietary factors could thus be suspected to be responsible for some spontaneous remissions in DH.