N. Landa, M. Mendieta-Eckert, P. Fonda-Pascual, Teresa Aguirre
International journal of dermatology, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, isolated in patients with severe pneumonia in China on December 30, 2019, having spread throughout the world since then with 2,056,054 cases diagnosed and 134,177 deaths (as of 15th April 2020). The clinical presentation widely referenced is fever, cough, headache, myalgia, asthenia, anosmia, and diarrhea; but few dermatological findings associated with the virus have been described to date. Over recent days, a series of cases in Spain have begun to emerge noted by many dermatologists. Amongst them is a group to which the authors belong called Teledermasolidaria. This group of dermatologists has been treating urgent cases from home via an application made available by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV). Initially, a series of cases consulted us through our personal mobile phones and sent their photographs to us. Later, the queries increased in number. Most of the patients were children (median 13 years) and young adults (median 31, average 36, range 18–91 years old). The lesions are initially reddish and papular resembling chilblains. Subsequently, in the span of approximately 1 week they become more purpuric and flattened. Finally, they seem to resolve by themselves without requiring any treatment. Patients did not show Raynaud or signs of ischemia. Although there is some referred discomfort or pain when palpated, the skin lesions were not very symptomatic. The majority of patients did not present with coronavirus symptoms and when presented they were mild fever or congestion. Except for the oldest patient (91 years old), none of them presented with significant respiratory condition, and they were generally in good health. Herein we share with the dermatology communities around the world a sample of our private patients with chilblain-like lesions which may be a cutaneous manifestation of COVID-19 so that dermatologists can be aware of these findings.
Cited by 72 publications.
Field of study: Medicine