Grover disease (transient acantholytic dermatosis)

Abstract

Grover disease, also known as transient acantholytic dermatosis, is a papulovesicular rash of the upper trunk, generally among older white males; it is usually pruritic but temporary. Grover disease is characterized by 4 different acantholytic histologic patterns, and it has been associated with numerous disorders, including hematologic malignancies. Follow-up and treatment are often difficult to evaluate secondary to the spontaneous remittance and occasional fluctuant course of the disease. Our objective will be to discuss the diagnostic considerations of Grover disease and focus on the postulated pathogenesis, including concurrent disorders and the role of the pathologist in examining skin biopsies of this nonhereditary vesicobullous disorder. Although recognized as a common condition, Grover disease's pathogenesis still remains unknown. Because Grover disease has been associated frequently with other dermatologic and nondermatologic skin conditions, inspection for other pathologic processes within the skin biopsy is essential to rule out other concomitant disorders, including hematopoietic malignancies.