COVID-19: The Italian experience

Italy was among the world's earliest and most affected countries by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We report the Italian experience with the pandemic. The dermatologic community immediately reduced any type of activities to 80% to 90% of outpatient consultations, both in public hospitals and in private offices. The Italian Society of Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases and the Italian Forensic Dermatologic Society supported the dermatologic community by reporting recommendations in newsletters (vademecum) regarding the routine management of dermatologic patients either in the hospital or private setting. We have provided an overview of the skin manifestations from the pandemic, including the consequences of the misuse of safety measures. We also have evaluated the recently developed research projects on patients treated with biologics for psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa, as well as on the registries regarding various skin diseases affected by COVID-19.