Volume 28, Issue 153, November 2024

Skin Manifestation of COVID-19: A systematic review

Bushra Mohammed Al-Bluwi¹, Ali Ahmed Alabdullah², Mohammed Ibrahim Alsaeed³

¹Dermatology Consultant, Dammam Medical Complex, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
²Dermatology Senior Registrar, Alahsa Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia
³MBBS, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Alahsa, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19, a disease linked to skin symptoms including rash, erythema, and urticaria. However, the exact mechanisms by which COVID-19 leads to these skin changes are not fully understood. Our review aimed to analyze the main skin issues linked to COVID- 19 and any possible underlying biological pathways in COVID-19 patients. Design of the study: Systematic review. Methods: Between January 1, 2020, and December 10, 2022, the authors conducted a bibliographic search in the databases PubMed, B-on, Scopus, and Web of Science, in order to collect revalent studies. Inclusion criteria included case series or comparative studies of COVID-19 cutaneous manifestations in various age ranges. Results: The evaluation found 26 articles that met the inclusion criteria, including case reports, series, and observational studies. The investigations comprised 547 people with COVID-19 who had skin symptoms. A systematic analysis of the literature on skin manifestations in COVID-19 discovered that erythema was the most common skin symptom, occurring in 44.18% of the 547 individuals included in the research. Skin lesions appeared 9.92 days after the onset of systemic symptoms such as fever, cough, and trouble breathing. Other skin signs were chilblain-like lesions, urticaria-like lesions, vesicular lesions, livedo/necrosis, and petechiae. 44.77% of patients reported significant itching. The most common systemic symptom among the 431 patients with information on this was fever, followed by coughing, exhaustion, difficulties breathing, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and a loss of smell or taste. Conclusion: Understanding of the most common skin issues related to the infection of COVID-19 would help in early diagnosis of COVID-19 and improve the patients outcomes. The current review provided a comprehensive overview of the skin disorders related to COVID-19 and its potential causes. Future studies should be large and well-designed.

Keywords: COVID-19, Skin Manifestations, Erythema, Urticaria, Chilblain- Like Lesions, Vesicular Lesions, Livedo/Necrosis, Petechiae

Medical Science, 2024, 28, e136ms3457

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v28i153.e136ms3457

Published: 12 November 2024