Cutaneous Manifestations of COVID-19: A Brief Review of a Possible Diagnostic Tool

The document discusses the potential diagnostic value of cutaneous (skin) manifestations in COVID-19 patients. While skin symptoms are not the most common, they have been reported in a significant number of cases. For example, a study in Italy found that 20.4% of patients (18 out of 88) showed skin involvement. The document lists several skin manifestations observed in COVID-19 patients, including acral cutaneous lesions, livedo and necrosis, rash, chilblain-like eruptions, urticaria, vesicular eruptions, and erythema multiforme. These manifestations can result from the disease itself, the administration of COVID-19 treatment protocols, or accompanying syndromes of the infection. The document also mentions reports of androgenic alopecia in COVID-19 patients, suggesting a possible genetic involvement in the disease course. While skin findings do not play the primary role in diagnosing COVID-19, they could assist in early diagnosis or evaluating patient prognosis. More data is needed to determine if they could be used as definitive and reliable diagnostic tools.