Dermatological manifestations associated with COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination: results from the Lebanese COVID registry

A number of cutaneous manifestations and adverse cutaneous reactions have been associated with COVID-19 infection and vaccine.

A Lebanese national registry was established to characterize the dermatologic manifestations and adverse cutaneous reactions associated with COVID-19 infection and vaccination in a sample of the Lebanese population.

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted via a web-based clinical form distributed to physicians wishing to report their cases from May 2021 till May 2022.

In total, 142 patients were entered in the registry, of which 133 were adults and nine were pediatric patients. The main dermatological manifestations reported with COVID-19 infection in the adult group were urticaria (32.9%), telogen effluvium (21.4%), morbilliform (10%), and papulosquamous (8.6%) eruptions. Urticaria was the most common adverse cutaneous reaction to the vaccine (33%). Interestingly, herpes zoster was triggered in 12 patients post vaccination in our series with this finding more frequently seen in patients above the age of 41 (P = 0.013). In the pediatric group, the most reported dermatological findings associated with COVID-19 infection were malar erythema (25%) and telogen effluvium (25%). One 16-year-old patient developed lichen planus after one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. No deaths were reported in both age groups.

This Lebanese registry adds more robust evidence that clinical manifestations of the COVID-19 virus and vaccine are diverse. More studies are necessary to establish the pathophysiology of these dermatological findings in the context of COVID-19 infection and vaccination.