#FaceFacts – Reports indicate that skin rash might be another symptom of COVID – 19

Along with fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, COVID-19 has been associated with a wide range of symptoms, but the disease’s cutaneous manifestations have not been widely discussed. Now, early reports from Italy and Thailand indicate that skin rash might be another symptom of COVID-19.

An early report from dermatologists working with COVID-19 patients in Italy found that in a group of 88 confirmed positive patients, 20% developed skin symptoms, with a little under half developing a rash at the onset of disease, and a little more than half developing it after hospitalization. Of the affected patients, the most common manifestation was erythematous rash or a patchy red rash. A few developed hives and one developed chickenpox-like blisters. The trunk was the most commonly involved site.

In another report, doctors in Thailand described a COVID-19 patient initially misdiagnosed with dengue fever, who presented with petechiae, or broken blood vessels, a rash common in dengue.

More recently, Dr. Young notes, there have been reports of COVID-19 patients developing livedo reticularis or mottling, which could indicate occlusion of blood vessels near the skin.

Clinicians should know that, while it appears that some patients may indeed experience skin symptoms, there is not yet any known specific rash associated with COVID-19 patients or associated with severe disease.

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