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Skin doctors
suddenly are looking at a lot of toes — whether by emailed picture or
video visit — as concern grows that for some people, a sign of COVID-19
may pop up in an unusual spot.
Boston
dermatologist Esther Freeman expected to see skin complaints as the
pandemic unfolded — various kinds of rashes occur when people get very
ill from other viruses.
“But
I was not anticipating those would be toes,” said Freeman of
Massachusetts General Hospital, who has viewed via telemedicine more
toes in the last several weeks than in her entire career.
They’re
being called “COVID toes,” red, sore and sometimes itchy swellings on
toes that look like chilblains, something doctors normally see on the
feet and hands of people who’ve spent a long time outdoors in the cold.
They’re being called “COVID toes,” red, sore and sometimes itchy swellings on toes that look like chilblains, something doctors normally see on the feet and hands of people who’ve spent a long time outdoors in the cold.
Don’t race to the emergency room if toes are the only worry, said the American Academy of Dermatology.
Earlier
this month, it issued advice that a telemedicine check is the first
step for people wondering if they have “COVID toes” and who have no
other reason for urgent care. Doctors then should decide if the patient
should stay in home isolation or get tested.
The
most common coronavirus symptoms are fever, a dry cough and shortness
of breath — and some people are contagious despite never experiencing
symptoms. But as this bewildering virus continues to spread, less common
symptoms are being reported including loss of smell, vomiting and
diarrhea, and increasingly, a variety of skin problems.
In
one report, dermatologists evaluated 88 COVID-19 patients in an Italian
hospital and found 1 in 5 had some sort of skin symptom, mostly red
rashes over the trunk. In another, Spanish doctors reported a series of
375 confirmed virus patients with a range of skin complaints, from hives
to chickenpox-like lesions to the toe swellings.
Pictures
of reddened toes and rashes all over social media and doctor chat
groups have “already enabled the rapid recognition of skin signs by
dermatologists. It is now time for rigorous science” to understand the
link, Dr. Kanade Shinkai of the University of California, San Francisco
wrote in a recent JAMA Dermatology editorial.
Boston’s
Freeman directs an international COVID-19 registry for doctors to
report cases of possibly virus-linked skin symptoms. Of 500 reports
since late March, about half are chilblain-like spots on the feet, she
said.
Chilblains,
what doctors call “pernio,” are an inflammatory reaction. When
pernio-like reactions appear in coronavirus-infected patients is one of
many mysteries. For some people, it’s the first or even only symptom
they notice. Others see the toe problem at the same time or even a few
weeks after experiencing more common and serious COVID-19 symptoms.
Chilblains, what doctors call “pernio,” are an inflammatory reaction. When pernio-like reactions appear in coronavirus-infected patients is one of many mysteries. For some people, it’s the first or even only symptom they notice. Others see the toe problem at the same time or even a few weeks after experiencing more common and serious COVID-19 symptoms.
It’s showing up in
young people too, according to Dr. Amy Paller of Northwestern
University, who is part of a pediatric dermatology registry also
collecting images of patients’ toes.
Among
the theories: Is it just inflammation triggered by an infection instead
of the cold? Is the virus irritating the lining of blood vessels in the
skin, or perhaps causing microscopic blood clots?
“The public health message is not to panic,” Freeman said, noting that most toe patients she’s seen haven’t become severely ill.
Are
they contagious? “We can’t tell just by looking at your toes,” she
said. Other medical conditions, such as lupus, can cause similar spots —
another reason doctors should discuss each patient’s overall health and
next steps for testing or other needed care.
