Persistent generalized Grover disease: complete remission after treatment with oral acitretin

Grover disease (GD) is a disorder of unknown origin, clinically characterized by the occurrence of pruritic, erythematous or brownish papules and papulovesicles, which histologically reveal four different patterns of acantholysis. Usually, the eruption is self-limited and spontaneously remit within a few weeks. In some cases, however, it may persist for months or even years and show a therapy-resistant course. We report a 56-year-old woman with recalcitrant, persistent, and generalized GD who showed complete remission after 6 weeks of treatment with oral acitretin (0.8mg/kg/day). The treatment was well-tolerated and laboratory parameters remained unchanged. The patient remains free of any recurrence at 26 months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a complete remission of the persistent form of GD as a result of oral acitretin monotherapy.