As many as 8% of patients with coeliac disease may also have dermatitis herpetiformis, but these patients are less likely to receive counseling on gluten-free diets, suggests an online survey.

More than 90% of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis have an associated gluten-sensitive enteropathy, but the prevalence of the disease among patients with coeliac disease and the characteristics of this group remain unclear.

To investigate, the US team examined data on 3775 patients in the Celiac Disease Foundation’s survey-based iCureCeliac patient-powered research network.

All patients had a diagnosis of coeliac disease, refractory coeliac disease, or dermatitis herpetiformis.