Incidence of transient acantholytic dermatosis (Grover's disease) in a hospital setting

Background: Grovers's disease may be triggered by bed rest. Methods: We hav e prospectively analyzed, over a 30-month period, all cases of transient ac antholytic dermatosis (TAD) diagnosed in the context of a dermatological co nsultation for inpatients of a community hospital. Results: A total of 28 c ases of TAD were diagnosed within a total of 3,750 patients examined (0.8%) . The mean age of patients with TAD was 66.7 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.8. In 83% of cases the length of hospitalization preceding TAD exceeded 2 weeks, and in all cases there was an association with strict bed rest. No association with malignant disease or other specific pathologies was observed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that TAD, which is frequent i n elderly patients within a hospital setting, is not paraneoplastic and fav or the hypothesis of a sweat-related pathogenesis.