Coronavirus is causing hives and 4 other skin reactions — here’s what dermatologists warn you to look for
If you’re struggling to keep up with the constantly evolving coronavirus symptoms, you’re not alone. While COVID-19 seems to primarily affect the lungs, doctors are sharing reports of it wreaking havoc on other parts of the body too, including the heart, the senses, the brain, the gut and — based on a growing database of case reports from dermatologists worldwide — the skin.
“We don’t really know what’s happening,” Carrie Kovarik, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania tells Yahoo Life. “We know that most people who are fighting this [virus] are seeing it for the first time, so the immune system is going crazy.”
Kovarik is a part of a nationwide COVID-19 task force created in early April to track and study the many skin reactions that have been linked to the coronavirus. As a part of that effort, experts at Harvard University and the American Academy of Dermatology have joined forces to create a database where clinicians can submit case reports on what they’re seeing. One of the most common thus far is what’s being dubbed “COVID toes” — but that’s not the only one.
“What I would want to emphasize is that there are multiple skin reactions at this point of COVID-19 infection,” Dawn Davis, MD, chair of the clinical dermatology division at the Mayo Clinic tells Yahoo Lifestyle, adding that it’s unclear whether multiple rashes can appear at once. Davis says individuals should be aware of these rashes “even if they have no other symptoms consistent with COVID-19” and should contact their primary care provider to determine whether an evaluation is needed.
Here, Davis unpacks the newest potential signs of the virus and how to spot them early on.
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A “dengue fever-like rash” that forms large red patches
Davis says that the initial reports involve a rash resembling the one caused by the mosquito-borne illness dengue fever. “It starts out as small, mild to moderately red bumps on the skin and as they increase in density they cluster together into large patches on the skin,” says Davis. “What's interesting about this rash — similar to dengue fever — is that there will be what we call an ‘island of sparing’ where certain patches of the skin won't have any involvement.”
The rash seems to not only be appearing in the U.S. but in other countries as well. In a recent paper from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, doctors in Thailand described a patient who ultimately tested positive for COVID-19 but was initially diagnosed with dengue fever based on a rash that resembled it. Davis says the rash may progress rapidly over a couple of days, and in some cases has appeared before respiratory symptoms.
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Hives-like rash that either spread or remain the same in size
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Measles-like rash that creates “little dots all over”
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Discoloration of the skin that forms in a tree pattern
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Small, red to purple bumps or nodules on the hands and feet
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https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-hives-skin-reactions-dermatologist-152002908.html