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We heard about “covid fingers” as a symptom of coronavirus infection in April. Similar to frostbite, red-violet spots, sometimes with blisters, initially appeared most often in children and adolescents, lasting about two weeks. Recently, scientists discovered that they can be present long after infection. What do “covid fingers” look like?
- “Covid fingers” are dermatological changes in the form of reddish-purple spots on the fingers and toes, with blisters and ulcerations
- The lesions can be painful but are not usually itchy
- Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists: skin symptoms including ‘covid fingers’ may play a key role in detecting infections in asymptomatic individuals
- You can find more about the coronavirus on the Onet homepage.
What do “covid fingers” look like?
Symptomatic patients with COVID-19 are associated with an average of 36 different symptoms, researchers from the Society of Family Physicians in Spain (SEMG) have found. Their research has shown that fatigue and generally malaise are the most common. Apart from them, there are also headaches, apathy, muscle aches and shortness of breath. The signs of a coronavirus infection are also the changes seen on the skin. One of the most characteristic are the so-called “Covid fingers”.
- When is breathlessness a serious illness? [WE EXPLAIN]
They were already described at the beginning of the pandemic. In the first wave of the pandemic, dermatological changes in COVID-19 infected patients were analyzed by a group of Spanish dermatologists. Doctors noticed that of the 375 patients tested, half had maculopapular lesions. One-fifth of the respondents had pseudo-frostbite changes. Urticarial changes were reported in the same number of patients. Dermatological symptoms in the form of red-purple spots on the fingers and toes, with blisters and ulcerations, were called “covid fingers”.
The lesions can be painful but are not usually itchy. When the rash has cleared, the top layers of the skin may peel off.
How do you know that red and purple bumps on fingers and toes are related to COVID-19? The answer came from a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology. SARS-CoV-2 was identified in skin samples from children who developed “covid toes” even though they tested negative for the pathogen. Analyzes found the virus in the skin’s endothelial cells (which line the blood vessels) as well as in the sweat glands.
– Our findings confirm the link between SARS-CoV-2 and “covid fingers”. Virus damage to the endothelium could be a key mechanism behind these changes, said lead author of the study, Isabel Colmenero, a doctor at Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús in Spain. It is also possible that some of the changes are related to bleeding disorders.
Initially, “covid fingers” were most often observed in children and adolescents. The changes lasted for about two weeks and were usually associated with a mild course of the infection. Sometimes they were even the only symptom of the disease.
In November, we reported on the observations of American scientists. In their opinion, skin problems related to COVID-19 may persist long after infection. Such a thesis was put forward by Dr. Esther E. Freeman, director of Global Health Dermatology.
- The rash could be a symptom of the coronavirus. What should be worrying? [WE EXPLAIN]
After examining about a thousand patients with coronavirus, it turned out that redness, swelling of the feet and hands persisted for more than 60 days. In one case, the inflammation lasted for 150 days.
Our findings revealed a subset of patients with long-term skin symptoms caused by COVID-19, especially on the toes. These data have broadened our understanding of the virus’s long-term effects on various organs, said the author of the study. And she encourages doctors to “pay special attention to patients’ dermatological problems”.
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Dr. Veronique Bataille, dermatologist at St Thomas’ Hospital – King’s College London, urges people who notice a new rash to “take the symptom seriously” and undergo self-isolation and, as soon as possible, testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Nina Goad from the British Association of Dermatologists makes the same statement. The doctor points out that skin symptoms, including “covid fingers”, may play a key role in detecting infections in asymptomatic people. On the other hand, it is important to remember that “rashes are very common and in most cases not associated with COVID-19”.
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Covid fingers in people infected with coronavirus
Dermatological changes in covid patients in the first wave of the pandemic were analyzed by a group of Spanish dermatologists who noticed that out of 375 examined, half had maculopapular changes. One-fifth of the respondents had pseudo-frostbite changes. Urticarial changes were reported in the same number of patients.
Dermatological symptoms in the form of red-purple spots on the fingers and toes, with blisters and ulcerations, were called “covid fingers”.
Initially, they appeared most often in children and adolescents, and lasted about two weeks. They were usually associated with a mild course of the infection. Sometimes they were even the only symptom of the disease.