COVID-19 and cutaneous manifestations: Two cases and a review of the literature

Submitted: 18 March 2022
Accepted: 13 April 2022
Published: 27 June 2022
Abstract Views: 988
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COVID-19 can affect multiple organs, including skin. A wide range of skin manifestations have been reported in literature. Six main phenotypes have been identified: i) urticarial rash, ii) confluent erythematous/maculopapular/morbilliform rash, iii) papulovesicular exanthem, iv) a chilblain-like acral pattern, v) a livedo reticularis/racemosa-like pattern, and vi) a purpuric vasculitic pattern. The pathogenetic mechanism is still not completely clear, but a role of hyperactive immune response, complement activation and microvascular injury have been postulated. The only correlation between the cutaneous phenotype and the severity of COVID-19 has been observed in the case of chilblain-like acral lesions, that is generally associated with the benign/subclinical course of COVID-19. Herein, we report two cases of SARS-CoV- 2 infection in patients who developed cutaneous manifestations that completely solved with systemic steroids and antihistamines. The first case is a female patient not vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 with COVID-19 associated pneumonia, while the second case is a vaccinated female patient with only skin manifestations.

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How to Cite

Bastoni, D., Borio, G., Rienzo, P., Magnacavallo, A., Vercelli, A., & Poggiali, E. (2022). COVID-19 and cutaneous manifestations: Two cases and a review of the literature. Emergency Care Journal, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2022.10468