This dermatological condition may be appearing in otherwise asymptomatic patients
One of the biggest hindrances in reliably identifying people who have (or previously had) COVID-19 are those asymptomatic cases who didn’t exhibit the most common symptoms like cough and shortness of breath. The American Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has just expanded the list of symptoms to include fever, cough, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste & smell.
Although it is important to know all the symptoms that this viral disease exhibits, to control the pandemic eventually, it does create another problem as well. Most of these symptoms are identical to the ones that show up when we have the seasonal flu.
Meanwhile, the list of symptoms in which the COVID-19 infection manifests itself in the body continues to grow. It was only last month when it was reported that anosmia (loss of smell) could point to a coronavirus infection, and now the condition has been officially added as one of the symptoms of COVID-19.
“We don’t know for sure if it’s related to COVID-19, but when it’s so common right now during a pandemic and is occurring in otherwise asymptomatic or mildly affected patients, it seems too much of a coincidence not to be a manifestation of the virus for patients in their teens and 20s.”
~ Amy Paller, Chair of Dermatology at NWU
Doctors are now looking at a dermatological condition, which might be showing up in otherwise asymptomatic people. Based on anecdotal evidence, the informally dubbed “COVID toes” show up as purple or blue lesions on a patient’s feet and toes.
Interestingly enough, “COVID toes” are mostly appearing in COVID-19 patients who don’t exhibit any other symptoms — as was the case with the loss of taste and smell earlier on. Some other doctors also believe that they could be an early sign of infection before it progresses further.
Ebbing Lautenbach, chief of infectious disease at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine believes that in some cases the condition persists for 10 days, while in others it is followed by other symptoms. According to Lautenbach, “COVID toes” are more common in children and young adults — owing to their stronger immune systems.
The doctor goes on to say that the condition was first discovered by Italian doctors in March before it started appearing in the younger adults and children in the U.S. He suggested two explanations — the first one relates to the inflammatory response by one’s immune system but localized to patient’s foot and toes & the other one could just be the clotting of blood vessels. I guess we will find out soon enough.
Sufficed to say that we need to learn much more about the virus to fend it off successfully. For now, the best bet against the pandemic is to follow the guidelines issued by your local health authorities. Stay home as much as you can, follow physical distancing and wash your hands regularly.
Stay safe everyone!
Originally Published on Medium
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