Grover disease: review of subtypes with a focus on management options.

Grover disease (GD) is a benign eruption that causes a papulovesicular rash on the trunk and proximal extremities. It often resolves spontaneously but can follow a more chronic and fluctuating course that may last several years. Although the etiology remains unknown, several associated triggers have been identified including heat and sweating, cool and dry air, renal failure, malignancy, and the initiation of several drugs. Since the disease tends to resolve on its own, management is aimed at disease prevention and symptomatic relief. First-line therapy includes topical steroids and vitamin D analogues with adjuvant antihistamines. In more severe cases that are refractory to less aggressive therapy, systemic corticosteroids, retinoids, and phototherapy may lead to successful resolution. Novel therapies are few and have little evidence but involve innovative use of light therapy and immune modulators. Herein, we review the literature and new trends of GD with a focus on established and novel treatments.

Distinguishing histopathologic features of acantholytic dermatoses and the pattern of acantholytic hypergranulosis.

BACKGROUND: Acantholysis can be seen in multiple skin diseases. Adnexal acantholysis has been regarded as a feature distinguishing pemphigus vulgaris (PV) from acantholytic conditions. METHODS: A retrospective review of the histopathologic features of diseases with acantholysis including PV, pemphigus foliaceus (PF), Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD), Darier disease (DD), Grover disease, and pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) was performed. RESULTS: Biopsies of PV (n = 49), HHD (n = 27), DD (n = 25), Grover disease (n = 65), and PRP (n = 33) showed suprabasilar acantholysis. Acantholysis was limited to the lower epidermis in PV and PRP, and involved all epidermal layers in HHD, DD, and Grover disease. Acantholysis in PF (n = 38) mainly involved the upper epidermis. Follicular acantholysis occurred more frequently in PV and PF (P < 0.0001). Eccrine acantholysis was found in PV (42%), HHD (18%), PF (13%), and DD (4%). Grover disease, DD, and HHD had greater dyskeratosis (P < 0.0001). Neutrophils were more common in PV, PF, and HHD, while eosinophils were more common in Grover disease and DD. A pattern termed acantholytic hypergranulosis occurred predominantly in PF. CONCLUSION: Adnexal acantholysis does not reliably distinguish PV from PF. The level of acantholysis, degree of dyskeratosis, and acantholytic hypergranulosis are distinguishing features between the two types of pemphigus and other acantholytic disorders.

Dermoscopy of Grover's disease: Variability according to histological subtype.

Distinguishing Grover's disease from other papular dermatoses is often a troublesome task. According to two relatively recent case reports, dermoscopy may be useful in assisting the diagnosis of such a disorder by showing a peculiar pattern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dermoscopic features of Grover's disease in a larger series of patients and correlate dermoscopy with histopathological findings. Seven patients with histopathologically confirmed Grover's disease were included in the study, with three of them displaying a Darier-like histology and the remaining four cases having a spongiotic histological pattern. The results of our study suggest that Grover's disease may display different features according to the histological subtype, with a central star-shaped/branched polygonal/roundish-oval brownish area surrounded by a whitish halo being characteristic of the Darier-like histological subtype and whitish scales over a reddish-yellowish background being characteristic of the spongiotic histological subtype.

Bullous melanoma: a rare variant of melanoma causing practical problems in determination of tumor thickness.

Bullous melanoma represents a rare variant of melanoma characterized by variably large subepidermal, basilar, or suprabasilar blisters. We present 7 cases of bullous melanoma (M:F = 4:3; median age, 57 years; age range, 38-86) located on the heel (n = 2), foot (n = 2), arm (n = 2), and back (n = 1). In 5/7 cases, the bulla was due to dyscohesiveness of basilar or suprabasilar melanocytes with subsequent acantholytic features simulating pemphigus vulgaris or Hailey-Hailey disease, whereas in the last 2 cases a subepidermal bulla without clear-cut relation to the melanocytic complexes was observed. Direct and indirect immunfluorescence studies performed in 4 patients on skin near the original surgical scar (including those with subepidermal bullae) were negative. Measurement of the Breslow index in all 7 cases was affected by the presence of the bulla, and in 5 of them, the TNM classification was different depending on the method of measurement (with or without the bulla). We suggest that the Breslow index in these cases should be measured detracting the thickness of the bulla from the total thickness, but follow-up data on larger numbers of patients are necessary to establish whether the presence of bullous features has any prognostic implication.

Acantholysis revisited: back to basics.

Acantholysis means loss of coherence between epidermal cells due to the breakdown of intercellular bridges. It is an important pathogenetic mechanism underlying various bullous disorders, particularly the pemphigus group, as well as many non-blistering disorders. Although a well-known concept, the student often has to refer to many sources to comprehend acantholysis completely. Thorough knowledge of this topic helps in clinching many diagnoses. The etiopathogenesis, classification, clinical signs, and laboratory demonstration of acantholysis are discussed in detail to help students build clear concepts. We have focused on various distinguishing points in different disorders for an easy grasp of the topic.

Pénfigo vulgar localizado: presentación atípica del pénfigo vulgar: reporte de caso / Localized pemphigus vulgaris: atypical presentation of pemphigus vulgaris: case report

Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 30 años quien consultó por un cuadro de 10 mesesde evolución, consistente en una placa única eritematosa, bien definida, con una costra en su superficie y de aproximadamente un centímetro de diámetro, poco pruriginosa, en ala nasalderecha. El estudio histológico, reveló acantolisis suprabasal y la inmunofluorescencia directa fue positiva sólo para IgG intercelular. Basados en los hallazgos clínicos e histopatológicos se hace undiagnóstico de pénfigo vulgar localizado. La lesión fue tratada con esteroide tópico de alta potencia,presentándose remisión completa a las dos semanas y luego de seis meses de seguimiento no se han registrado recurrencias.

A 30 years old female patient, with 10-month history ofa single erythematous, well defined plaque, with a cruston the surface, about one centimeter in diameter, slightly pruritic, in the right nasal wing. Histologic examination reported suprabasal acantholysis and direct immunofluorescence was positive for intercellular IgG deposits. Base don clinical and histopathological findings a diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris localized was made. The patient was treated with high potency topical steroid, with complete remission of the lesion at two weeks of treatment and had no recurrences after six months of monitoring.

Dermatosis que cursan con acantólisis / Acantholytic dermatoses

La acantólisis consiste en la pérdida de conexión entre los queratinocitos de la epidermis como resultado de la destrucción de los desmosomas intercelulares que conlleva a la formación de hendiduras y vesículas intraepidérmicas. La acantólisis aparece clásicamente en la enfermedad de Hailey-Hailey, la enfermedad de Darier, la dermatitis acantolítica transitoria, el grupo de los pénfigos, la infección por herpesvirus o el disqueratoma verrucoso. Además puede ocurrir en el síndrome estafilocócico de la piel escaldada, el impétigo, la queratosis actínica acantolítica o el carcinoma epidermoide acantolítico. Por último, la acantólisis también puede ser un hallazgo incidental. Se ha descrito en multitud de trastornos epiteliales benignos y malignos, lesiones fibrohistiocitarias, lesiones melanocíticas y lesiones inflamatorias. Estos cambios histopatológicos pueden aparecer tanto dentro de la lesión como sobre la piel sana adyacente. La causa de este hallazgo incidental permanece desconocida

Acantholysis is the loss of cohesión between keratinocytes as a result of dissolution of intercellular desmosomal connections, resulting in clefts or intraepidermal vesicles. Acantholysis occurs classically in Hailey-Hailey’s disease, Darier´s disease, transient acantholytic dermatitis, group of penphigus, herpesvirus infection or warthy dysqueratoma. But acantholysis may also occurs in staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, impetigo, acantholitic actinic keratosis, acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma or being an incidental finding or artifact. Focal incidental acantholysis has been noted as an incidental finding in association with bening and malignant epithelial lesions, fibrohistiocytic lesions, inflammatory lesions, melanocytic lesions and miscellaneous lesions. The pathologic changes either are observed within the lesion or in the immediately adjacent epithelium. The cause of this clinically condition remains to be determined

Enfermedad de Grover / Grover's disease

Presentamos dos pacientes con diagnóstico clínico e histológico de enfermedad de Grover, con diferente evolución, transitoria y permanente. Se plantean los distintos mecanismos desencadenantes, las características clínicas, los diagnósticos diferenciales; se describen los diferentes patrones histológicos de dermatosis acantolítica transitoria; se pone énfasis en otras patologías que presentan disqueratosis acantolítica; se mencionan sus asociaciones y se propone terapéutica.

Enfermedad de Grover / Grovers disease

Presentamos dos pacientes con diagnóstico clínico e histológico de enfermedad de Grover, con diferente evolución, transitoria y permanente. Se plantean los distintos mecanismos desencadenantes, las características clínicas, los diagnósticos diferenciales; se describen los diferentes patrones histológicos de dermatosis acantolítica transitoria; se pone énfasis en otras patologías que presentan disqueratosis acantolítica; se mencionan sus asociaciones y se propone terapéutica. (AU)

Acantolisis / Acantholysis

La acantalosis es un hallazgo histopatológico observado en numerosas y diversas dermatosis, con expresiones clínicas variadas. Se describen los caracteres clínicos e histopatológicos más importantes de estas afecciones y se resumen los mecanismos etiopatogénicos de la acantolisis propuestos en cada una de ellas

Acantolisis / Acantholysis

La acantalosis es un hallazgo histopatológico observado en numerosas y diversas dermatosis, con expresiones clínicas variadas. Se describen los caracteres clínicos e histopatológicos más importantes de estas afecciones y se resumen los mecanismos etiopatogénicos de la acantolisis propuestos en cada una de ellas (AU)

Syringoacanthoma. Acanthotic lesion of the acrosyringium.

An acanthotic and papillomatous cutaneous lesion with a seborrheic verruca (keratosis)-like clinical appearance that, under light microscope examination, shows intermingling of sweat ductal and epidermal cells is described. Other lesions related to the distal end of the eccrine sweat duct have been recorded before, but these lesions, named syringoacanthoma herein, have not been described previously, to my knowledge. Twenty-one cases of syringoacanthoma , 12 benign and nine malignant, are reviewed and their relationship with similar lesions is discussed.