Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1996
From: Ron Hoggan

This sounds like a case of celiac-associated arthropathy. Perhaps the red dots or circles could be dermatitis herpetiformis, as this is also associated with celiac disease. Of course, this is a very vague description, and I have no medical training, this is simply my opinion of what it sounds like.

If this person is interested in looking at a journal article on the association between celiac and arthropathy, here is a source:

Young T, et. al. "Celiac Disease and Arthropathy: Case Report and Literature Review" _The Guthrie Journal_ Vol.62 (3): pages 99-104. Summer, 1993.

They describe a patient who developed swollen joints, including right wrist, right ankle. left metacarplephalangeal, and left third proximal interphalangeal joints.

Another patient they describe is a 15 year old girl who had swollen knees and ankles which was thought to be due to rheumatoid arthritis. After diagnosis of cd, and commencement of the gluten-free diet, her joint problems disappeared.

They describe many others, and I didn't check for mention of dermatitis herpetiformis, but it may be the combination that is confusing the issue, since the natural inclination would be to look for a single disease, not two different diseases that are caused by an underlying pathology.

Also see:

Marsh, M.N. "BONE DISEASE AND GLUTEN SENSITIVITY: TIME TO ACT, TO TREAT, AND TO PREVENT" _The American Journal of Gastroenterology_ 1994; 89(12): 2105-2107