Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an extremely pruritic blistering disease characterized by the
presence of granular deposits of lgA at the dermal-epidermal junction, an associated and
often asymptomatic gluten-sensitive enteropathy, and an increased frequency of the HLA
antigens Al, BS, DR3, and DQw2. Although patients with DH most often have no
gastrointestinal symptoms, the skin disease can be controlled by a gluten-free diet. These
observations suggest that a mucosal immune response plays a primary role in the …