Relationship of dietary gluten intake to dapsone dose in dermatitis herpetiformis.

The gluten intake was quantitated utilizing a dietary history method in 43 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis on non-restricted diet. The mean daily gluten intake was 15 g. The individual intake of gluten was related to the maintenance dose of dapsone. It was significantly higher in patients on 100-150 mg dapsone daily than in those taking 0-25 mg daily. There was a significant correlation between amount of gluten in the diet and the dapsone dose (p less than 0.01, rs = 0.43). Villous atrophy was not related to the dapsone dose. It is suggested that the gluten-sensitive enteropathy changes the intestinal permeability and thus contributes to the development of blisters.