Intended for healthcare professionals
Clinical review

COVID-19 and the skin: a focused review

Muskaan Sachdeva

BHSc* Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Bayanne Olabi

MRCP* Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, UK

Michael Ziv

MD Dermatology Department, Emek Medical Center, Israel

Roni Dodiuk-Gad

MD Dermatology Department, Emek Medical Center, Israel and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Institute of Technology, Israel and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

* Equal contribution

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a devastating impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 are varied, and include exanthema (varicella-like papulo-vesicular and morbilliform eruptions), vascular lesions (chilblain-like, purpuric/petechial and livedoid lesions), urticarial eruptions and acropapular lesions. 

Studies have also shown that COVID-19 can exacerbate pre-existing dermatological diseases such as psoriasis, acne, rosacea, atopic dermatitis and seborrhoeic dermatitis.

This article reviews the clinical considerations relating to COVID-19 and the skin, including the diagnosis and management of cutaneous manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the care of dermatology patients in relation to their pre-existing skin condition.

The article covers key points such as:

  • The cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19
  • Whether pre-existing skin diseases can be exacerbated by COVID-19
  • The implications for dermatological treatments, including immunosuppressants, during the pandemic
  • How dermatologists can help in the diagnosis of COVID-19
  • What reliable sources of information about COVID-19 and the skin are currently available.
  • What international registries collect clinical information on patients with COVID-19 and dermatological pathologies
  • Whether guidelines around COVID-19 vaccination in patients with skin disease are currently available

 

The authors note that 'Safe, evidence-based dermatological care can assist in the effort against COVID-19, particularly when clinicians work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary manner with other clinical specialties to provide holistic patient care'.

 

Dermatology in practice 2021; 27(1): 4–6
To continue reading this article, please sign in or register.

Dermatology in practice was previously supported by Wyeth from 2008 to 2010, by Wyeth and Serono in 2007, by Wyeth and Shire from 2005 to 2006, by Medlock Medical in 2004 and by SSL International from 2001 to 2003.

The data, opinions and statements appearing in the articles herein are those of the contributor(s) concerned; they are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher, Editor or Editorial Board. Accordingly the publisher, Editor and Editorial Board and their respective employees, officers and agents accept no liability for the consequences of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement.

The title Dermatology in practice is the property of Hayward Medical Publishing and PMGroup Worldwide Ltd and, together with the content, is bound by copyright. Copyright © 2021 PMGroup Worldwide Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained on the site may not be reproduced, distributed or published, in whole or in part, in any form without the permission of the publishers. All correspondence should be addressed to:

ISSN 0262-5504 (Print) ISSN 2049-8446 (Online)