Frostbite-Like Rashes on Toes May Be a Sign of Coronavirus
Since she’s a dermatologist, Esther Freeman of Massachusetts General Hospital figured the coronavirus pandemic wouldn’t cause her workload to escalate. But she was wrong, as she started getting calls from patients who had frostbite-like rashes on their toes. “My inbox and my telemedicine clinic are full of just toes. It’s all about toes. I have never seen so many toes,” Freeman told The Washington Post. The inflammation typically disappeared in two to three weeks without treatment–but what was striking was that many of these patients tested positive for COVID-19.
Furthermore, almost all patients with “COVID toes” are children or young adults. This curious phenomenon provides yet another challenge to the early assumption that the virus primarily affects people’s lungs.