Remember that COVID-19 only affects fever and cough; other symptoms are a concern for doctors

“Many viral infections can cause skin rashes, so when you have to deal with these cases, you need to have more data. Did the patient take any medications a week before the rash? Perhaps there are other possible reasons? Said Artas Papier, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. – This is the COVID-19 challenge. All these different manifestations and different rashes raise questions, is it just hives or some hives due to COVID-19?

These cases have been published in medical journals. The latest issue of JAMA Dermatology reports on four patients who developed a severe form of COVID-19 and were treated in New York hospitals in March and April.

Patients aged 40 to 80 had discolored skin and red and purple spots called purples. Each patient underwent a biopsy, which showed that they were dealing with a certain type of vasculopathy, meaning that their blood vessels had been damaged.

Researchers from Weill Cornell College of Medicine write in their report that skin discoloration may be associated with partial or complete occlusion of blood vessels. Purpura can indicate that the blood vessels have become completely blocked.

Such rashes and skin discoloration can be “clinical evidence” that blood clots may be present in the body, according to the study report. Already at the beginning of the pandemic, doctors noticed that in severe cases of COVID-19, patients formed abnormally large clots.

However, these data have some shortcomings, including the fact that the researchers were unable to confirm the exact time when the rashes and other problems occurred in each patient. More research is also needed to determine if similar findings would be obtained in a larger group of COVID-19 patients.

However, in their report, the researchers said that physicians caring for coronavirus-infected patients should be aware of skin discoloration and rash as “potential signs” that blood clots may form in the body.

“Many viral infections can damage the skin”

Doctors and researchers around the world have also reported other skin rashes that have been observed on the bodies of COVID-19 patients.

The coronavirus often causes a major inflammatory process in the human body, and in some cases causes the so-called cytokine storm, which causes the most damage. The skin is extremely sensitive to inflammation, said Seemal Desai, a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology.

“Cytokines disrupt the immune system, causing several of these immune molecules to attack and damage the skin,” he said.

In July, researchers from King’s College London called for skin rashes and “COVID fingers and toes” to be considered one of the main symptoms of the coronavirus. They even emphasized that such symptoms can occur in the absence of other symptoms.

The main and widely known symptoms of coronavirus are known to be fever, cough, and shortness of breath. However, other symptoms are believed to exist. Loss of taste and smell is another symptom. It was recently added to the list of common symptoms compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers at King’s College analyzed data collected using the Covid-19 Symptom Study smart app. With this app, data was provided to the UK for around 336 thousand. persons. The data obtained showed that 8.8 percent. People diagnosed with coronavirus also reported having a skin rash as a symptom, compared with 5.4% who tested negative.

Later, researchers at this university conducted a separate online survey and collected information from nearly 12,000 people. people who have had a rash and are suspected or confirmed to have coronavirus. The researchers found that 17 percent. Respondents who tested positive for coronavirus indicated that the rash was the first symptom of the disease. 21 percent of patients who reported a rash and were confirmed to have coronavirus, the rash was the only symptom.

The researchers cited the findings of their study in an unpublished study that was uploaded to a web server. medRXiv.org. The findings have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“Many viral infections can affect the skin, so it’s no wonder we’re seeing such skin rashes from COVID-19 patients,” said St. Veronique Bataille, a dermatologist at Tom’s Hospital and King’s College. – However, it is very important for people to know that, in some cases, the rash may be the first or only symptom of the disease. So if you notice any new rash, you need to take it very seriously, isolate yourself, and examine it as soon as possible. “

Measles-like rash and mouth rash

Preliminary data suggests that skin rashes and mouth rashes may be a sign of coronavirus infection, but researchers say more research is needed.

In May, researchers from around the world conducted a review of the literature and found that patients also developed raised red itchy rashes and a red or pink rash very similar to measles.

“It’s a reaction that we often call measles and it manifests as a pink rash that looks like a lot of little pink spots all over the skin,” Papier said.

Another study, the findings of which were published in JAMA Dermatology in July, found that among the 21 patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Spain who developed a rash, six, or 29%, developed an oral rash (enanthema). The eruption occurred about 12 days after the onset of coronavirus symptoms, researchers at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid said.

“This work describes only preliminary observations and is limited due to the small number of cases and the absence of a control group,” the researchers said, adding that the enanthema is a possible symptom of COVID-19 and not a reaction to drugs such as drugs.

“Despite the increasing incidence of rash in COVID-19 patients, it is difficult to make an etiological diagnosis,” the researchers said. “But enanthema is a serious sign of viral etiology, not a reaction to drugs.”