Studies on sweating and bacterial ecology in Juvenile Plantar Dermatosis

Abstract

The role of sweating and the surface bacterial flora were studied in 34 patients with Juvenile Plantar Dermatosis (JPD), and in 51 control patients. In 11 patients with JPD the spatial distribution of active sweat ducts was abnormal. Affected areas on the big toes of children with JPD were hypohidrotic and the number of visible sweat duct openings was Reduced, Sweating was studied quantitatively in 26 patients with JPD and 20 normal controls. No increase or decrease in sweat retention could be demonstrated in JPD patients compared to controls. No difference was found in bacterial counts from the plantar surfaces of the big toes in any of three groups—34 JPD Patients, six patients with atopic eczema (with normal feet) and 21 normal controls. It is unlikely that the hypohidrosis seen in affected areas of the feet of patients with JPD is due to miliaria induced by occlusive footwear, but probably is a phenomenon which results from the dermatosis itself. Copyright © 1986, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved