Skin rash could a prominent symptom of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus infection has devastated the entire world. With over 13 million infections, there is no knowing how severe the infection can be or how bad symptoms can be. Another bout of confusion is the type of symptoms a patient showcases- from children to healthy adults, pregnant women or elderlies, the signs of the infections vary from one individual to another. While COVID-19 is a respiratory infection, there can also be some sneaky symptoms people can miss out on- skin rashes, for one.

A new study done by King's College, London has now highlighted that a persistent skin rash can be a prominent typical sign of developing COVID-19 infection, after cough, fever and breathlessness.

01/ The study

A new study conducted in King's College found out that COVID-19 might show up on the skin first for some people, or those not showcasing other typical symptoms of the viral infection and therefore, should be treated as an important diagnostic tool for the same.

To collate the data, a survey was done on 336,000 people across the UK. The data for the same was collected using a COVID app. It was observed that 8.8% of people found positive for the virus listed skin rash as a symptom.

Similar results were seen in a further 8.2% of users with a rash who did not have a coronavirus test, but still reported classic COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough, fever or anosmia (loss of smell).

The researchers also conducted an evaluation on a pool of 12000 candidates suspected to be COVID+ and skin rashes. Interestingly, among these, nearly 17% reported spotting a rash as a primary symptom of the infection and 1 in 5 tested said that having a skin abnormality was the only sign they experienced.

02/ What kind of rashes can a person develop due to COVID-19?

It's a known factor that rashes of any kind, including other skin abnormalities, can be a result of inflammation, stress, allergy or any immune system disorder. All of these have been linked to coronavirus since the virus attacks the body and triggers problems of immune malfunctioning.

03/ COVID toes is another symptom to be aware of

Another symptom which was just recently discovered was the presence of COVID toes, characterized by sudden blood clots, contraction, swelling and inflammation. The symptom was primarily observed in kids who did not showcase any other symptom and soon, it was more widely observed in patients of all age-groups.

04/ What kind of rashes are seen?

According to the study, most people who reported rashes as a symptom of COVID-19 had three types of rashes:

-Hives, which happen suddenly, turn the skin red and can seldom also lead to swelling on the skin. While they go away in a matter of hours, sometimes, they can stay for longer as well.

-Prickly heat, which is similar to the type of rashes one gets in a chickenpox infection and persists for days at a length.

-COVID fingers and toes, which causes redness and soreness.

05/ What should you do?

While coronavirus symptoms are very similar to other viral infections, the symptoms should never be taken lightly. Commenting on the same, lead author, Dr Veronique Bataille said:

“Many viral infections can affect the skin, so it’s not surprising that we are seeing these rashes in COVID-19. However, it is important that people know that in some cases, a rash may be the first or only symptom of the disease. So if you notice a new rash, you should take it seriously by self-isolating and getting tested as soon as possible.”

from LifeStyle