Hello, this is my first post as I am need of some assistance.
My boyfriend and I have been dating for a year now and I am really concerned about his health as he has a very unusual story. I am pretty sure he has an autoimmune disorder, but I cannot seem to find anyone or any disorder with similar symptoms. Here is his case:
Every 6 months for the past 7 years ( he is currently 31) his body breaks out in a hive like rash. The rash starts on his hips and kidney area and then travels throughout his body, causing pain to the touch. This all begins with extreme fatigue the night before the hives arise. His eyes seem dazed when he awakes, and all of his conversations become a blur. I can only compare it to a fever-like state but without the fever. He will sleep for nearly 20 hours each day. Another symptom is joint aches. His hands, knees and feet, all begin to ache while the hive-like rash is present.
Now it get's even more interesting. The symptoms only last 3 days and then will not return again for another 6 months with no trace of the previous symptoms listed.
He has been to several doctors, has had blood work and everyone has come up with.. nothing. He has lost hope on finding a diagnosis and just tolerates it for the 6 days out of the year. I want to help him as I am worried that it is something serious.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Or have any advice for us?
Hi & welcome. I'm only a patient, so please read this accordingly.
Were shingles ruled out? While shingles favor older people, they can occur at any age. (But I'm guessing this is unlikely: shingles rashes respect the center line of the body, and you'd have both noticed that peculiarity.)
I think I've read that rashes re-erupt in some people with Lyme disease. Was he tested for it?
Does he take any meds regularly? Simple skin reactions are, of course, relatively common, but some meds can cause more than rashes in susceptible people. Joint pain, fatigue, etc. are seen in the form of lupus called Drug-Induced Lupus Erythematosus (DILE), a form that's milder than systemic lupus (SLE). "Treatment" for DILE consists of identifying the culprit drug(s) and discontinuing them. Meds that have been implicated in DILE include some very common ones like cholesterol meds, blood presssure meds, certain antibiotics, etc. Hallmarks are positive ANA, positive anti-single-stranded-DNA, and positive antihistone.
Re: other autoimmunes. There were recent discussions on this board about hives & autoimmunity. To locate them, you could click the link "Search This Board" and type in "hives". And to search across all the boards at once, you could try the "Advanced Search" link.
If nothing else pans out, I'd maybe try an infectious disease specialist.
I wish I knew more! Hopefully others will weigh in soon. Best wishes, Vee
