Recovering virus victims report cases of ‘Covid toe’ swelling
Condition can turn feet red and purple for months on end, warn scientists
CORONAVIRUS patients could end up developing a skin condition known as “Covid toes”, scientists said yesterday.
Some victims of the virus have reported a chilblainlike inflammation on their feet, sometimes lasting for several months.
The condition typically develops within a week to four weeks of being infected and can result in toes becoming swollen or changing colour, according to research by the International League of Dermatological Societies, and the American Academy of Dermatology.
Symptoms are said to be mild in the majority of cases and the feet return to normal within weeks but about one in six people require hospital treatment.
People with “long Covid” have reported cases lasting for several months.
Dr Esther Freeman, principal investigator of the International Covid-19 Dermatology Registry, the collaboration between the two research bodies, said: “It seems there is a certain subgroup of patients that, when they get Covid, they develop inflammation in their toes, which turns them red and swollen, and then they eventually turn purple.
“In most cases, it is self-resolved and it goes away. It is relatively mild. It lasts on average about 15 days. But we have seen patients lasting a month or two months. Some of our patients are at over 150 days now – these are patients with red or purple or swollen toes for many months.”
About half of the patients in the registry are reported to have “Covid toes” and about 16 per cent of those had to be admitted to hospital as a result, the figures suggest. Dr Freeman said the identification of people with Covid toes – including some in the UK – will help scientists understand more about coronavirus-related symptoms elsewhere in the body.
She said: “We are starting to see long Covid in other organ systems, this is the first time we are recognising this can happen in the skin as well.
“I think it raises a lot of questions about what sort of inflammation is going on – is there i nflammation elsewhere in the body? We don’t really know the answer yet.
“The skin can be viewed as a window into the rest of the body because it is inflammation which you can see – and can be indicative of inflammation elsewhere.”
The figures have been submitted to the registry by doctors treating patients with skin issues in dozens of count ri es around t he world, meaning there are potenti ally many people with Covid toes who have not sought medical help.
Dr Freeman said: “I think what we’re reporting is probably just the tip of the iceberg – it’s probably happening a lot more than we’re reporting but I think by reporting it more people will recognise it.”
The figures are being presented to experts at the virtual European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress this week.