As we all know, Covid-19 is a deadly disease that belongs to a family of respiratory infections called coronaviruses.
The first cases, combined with what scientists know about respiratory infections, led health bodies to compile a list of cold-like symptoms, such as cough and high temperature.
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However, as Covid-19 has appeared in different parts of the world, never-before-seen symptoms have come to light.
A recent report in an Italian medical room found that twenty percent of patients had skin lesions, described as a rash, hives, or one case of lesions «varicella-like».
Other case reports describe a rash mistaken for dengue, acral ischemia in children and critically ill patients, and urticaria.
One study, published in the British Journal of Dermatologyhas further investigated the effects of Covid-19 on the skin.
The investigation revealed five main patterns and described each pattern in vivid detail.
These were:
1. Acral areas of erythema-edema with some vesicles or pustules (pseudo-chilblain) (19% of cases).
Chilblains/Archive
These injuries, affect the hands and feetthey can look like chilblains (small itchy bumps on the skin) with small red or purple spots, caused by bleeding under the skin. They were generally asymmetrical.
Associate with: the youngest patientslasted a mean of 12.7 days, occurred later in the course of the Covid-19 illness, and were associated with less severe disease (in terms of hospital admission, pneumonia, intensive care unit admission, or mortality). They can cause pain (32 percent) or itch (30 per cent).
two . Other vesicular eruptions (9%).
Chickenpox or Crystal Plague Blisters
Vesicular eruptions are outbreaks of small blisters similar to those of the Crystal Plague or Chickenpoxsome of them presented in the trunk. They can also affect limbs, fill with blood, and become larger or more spread.
Associate with: the middle-aged patientslasted an average of 10.4 days, appeared more frequently (15%) before other symptoms and were associated with intermediate severity. Itching was common (68%).
3. Urticarial lesions (19%):
urticarial lesions.
These consist of pink or white raised areas of skin that resemble a nettle rash, known as hives (also spelled scars), which they usually itch. Mainly Distributed on the trunk or scattered throughout the body. Some cases were in the palms of the hands.
4. Other maculopapules (47%).
maculopapules are small, flat, raised red bumps. In some cases, these were distributed around hair folliclesthere was also varying degrees of scaling. Some had been described as similar to the pityriasis rosea, a common skin condition. The blood spots under the skin may also be present, either in the form of spots/spots or in larger areas.
Associate with: last for a shorter period (mean 6.8 days for urticarial and 8.6 for maculopapular), usually appeared at the same time as the rest of the symptoms and associated with the most serious Covid-19 disease (2% mortality in the sample). Itching was very common in urticarial lesions (92 percent) and 57 percent in maulopapular lesions.
5. Livedo or necrosis (6%).
Livedo is a skin condition in which circulation in the blood vessels of the skin is affected. Makes skin look blotched red or blue with a grid pattern (similar to a network). Necrosis refers to the premature death of skin tissue. These patients showed different degrees of injury, which suggests a occlusive vascular disease, where arteries are narrowed or blocked, limiting blood flow to certain areas of the body (in this case, the trunk or extremities).
Associate with: older patients with more severe disease (10% mortality). However, the manifestations of Covid-19 in this group were more variable, including transient livedo, and some suffered from Covid-19 that did not require hospitalization.