title: Gastrointestinal Symptoms Increase the Burden of Illness in Dermatitis Herpetiformis: A Prospective Study.
abstract: Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an extraintestinal manifestation of coeliac disease. The burden of illness in untreated coeliac disease is known to be considerable, but corresponding evidence for DH is lacking. In this study the burden of DH was evaluated prospectively in 52 patients newly diagnosed with DH using a study questionnaire and a validated Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) questionnaire. The PGWB scores were compared with those of 110 healthy controls. Quality of life was significantly (p < 0.001) lower among patients with DH at the time of diagnosis, but after 1 year on a gluten-free diet their quality of life was at same level as that of the controls. The presence of gastrointestinal symptoms was shown to significantly increase the burden of untreated DH. We conclude that there is a significant burden related to untreated, but not to treated, DH, and the burden is even greater among DH patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pasternack
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaukinen
authors.forename: Kalle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurppa
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mäki
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collin
authors.forename: Kaisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hervonen
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reunala
authors.forename: Heini
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huhtala
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kekkonen
authors.forename: Teea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salmi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003874:Dermatitis Herpetiformis / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires