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Cutaneous Manifestations of COVID-19 in the Inpatient Setting
Mytrang H Do1, Claire R Stewart1, Joanna Harp2
1Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Insights
Skin manifestations in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients vary. Vasculopathy indicates poor prognosis, while other eruptions may signal less severe disease, aiding in recognition and care.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Cutaneous findings are increasingly recognized in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
- Understanding these skin manifestations is crucial for managing hospitalized patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and categorize the spectrum of cutaneous findings in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- To correlate specific dermatologic manifestations with disease severity and prognosis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies reporting dermatologic manifestations in inpatient COVID-19 settings.
- Categorization of skin lesions based on clinical presentation and underlying pathophysiology.
Main Results:
- Vasculopathy-related lesions are associated with high hospitalization rates and poor prognosis.
- Inflammatory vesicular and urticarial eruptions are less commonly linked to prolonged hospitalization.
- Other manifestations include Sweet's syndrome, purpuric eruptions, and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.
Conclusions:
- Familiarity with diverse COVID-19-associated skin findings is valuable for physicians.
- Recognizing cutaneous signs may improve early disease identification and patient management in hospitalized individuals.
Abstract:
Cutaneous findings have increasingly been reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This review discusses associated skin findings in patients with COVID-19 in the inpatient setting, ranging from vasculopathy-related lesions associated with high hospitalization rate and poor prognosis to inflammatory vesicular and urticarial eruptions that are rarely associated with prolonged hospitalization. We also discuss other reported COVID-19 cutaneous manifestations such as Sweet's syndrome, purpuric eruptions, and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. Although the relationship between dermatologic changes and COVID-19 disease progression is not fully elucidated, familiarity with cutaneous manifestations is valuable for physicians caring for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and may help improve disease recognition and care.
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