SKIN LESIONS THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19 (Atena Editora)

Abstract

COVID-19, the respiratory syndrome caused by the “new” coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, started in Wuhan, China, in 2019. The rapid spread of the virus around the world led to the pandemic. Several symptoms have been observed in infected people, such as involvement of the respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and neurological systems, and skin lesions. Studies have shown that cutaneous manifestations can be indicative of COVID-19 infection and help in early diagnosis. However, some physicians do not have the necessary knowledge for this correlation. Therefore, in this qualitative and descriptive review, we present studies published in the last two years, related to possible skin lesions related to COVID-19, association with the severity of the infection, and the mechanisms associated with the lesions. The Scielo, MedLine and PubMed database platforms were used for the search, and 18 articles were selected. Studies show that skin lesions can be considered for predicting the diagnosis of COVID-19, provided they are well evaluated, associated with other symptoms and confirmed by specific tests. The most commonly reported skin manifestations were: acral erythema, urticaria, erythematous rash, maculopapular rash, pruritus, and erythema multiforme. Acral injuries were associated with lower severity of SARS-CoV-2. Antiviral treatment and virus infection were associated with skin lesions. Different mechanisms involved in the lesions were mentioned, such as vasodilation and thrombotic events. The studies addressed in this review are important for physicians to understand the possible skin lesions associated with COVID-19 and thus relate them to other methods for early diagnosis of the infection.