Specialists have discovered purplish lesions on the toes and feet of several young Covid patients.
- Young children with Covid-19 sometimes show purplish lesions on feet and toes
- Scientists think it could be caused by the formation of micro-clots in the blood vessels
As our knowledge of Covid-19 improves and we now know that skin lesions can be a symptom of infection, Spanish dermatologists believe they have detected a potential new symptom: purplish toes. Observed in many young patients who test positive, but often asymptomatic, these purplish skin lesions on the toes are a sign of infection.
A study conducted on the subject in Italy revealed that at least 20% of Covid patients displayed these skin lesions, which were also notified in the Journal of the American Dermatology.
“We don’t know for sure if this is related to Covid-19, but since this condition is so common right now, during a pandemic, and it occurs in otherwise asymptomatic or mildly affected patients, it doesn’t appear to be a coincidence”said Dr. Amy Paller in a communicated from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Swelling and “burning sensation”
Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, head of the infectious diseases unit at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, described in USA Today these lesions as small blisters or swellings “painful to the touch and causing a burning sensation.”
According to him, it would bean event occurring early in the disease (…) Sometimes it could even be the first clue of Covid-19 infection when there are no other symptoms yet”. These lesions can be on the toes themselves, or on the side of the feet as already observed in certain young subjects.
If you are treating patients with acute coronary syndromes or acute strokes in the ED, you may want to quickly look for COVID Toes and Fingers, a clue indicating possible COVID-19 infection and need for enhanced PPE and precautions. https://t.co/oyBgQQk9Hq pic.twitter.com/9qyKKAEG0k
— Luciano Sposato (@SposatoL) April 19, 2020
Specialists do not yet know for sure how the virus can cause such skin lesions, but it could be linked to blood clotting or inflammation of blood vessels, such as in vasculitis. “It could be inflammation in the fingers or toes, or the inflammation that causes micro-clots in the bloodstream.”confirmed in the review Health, Nazanin Saedidermatologist from Thomas Jefferson University.
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