In a recent discussion about Covid-19 with a medical professional, she asked me about any changes in the appearance of my toes. Initially, I thought I’d misheard her.
Understandably confused, I asked why. Was this a symptom of coronavirus I hadn’t yet heard about?
“Yes, it’s something we are hearing a lot about,” came the answer. It is indeed another possible symptom of a Covid-19 infection, in seems — though for the record, my toes are fine.
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Dermatologists are being inundated with calls from people asking why their toes, and sometimes fingers, are turning purple and pink.
Alarmingly, most of those reporting the symptom did not know they had been exposed to the coronavirus. Many are young and healthy and had experienced no other symptoms, Fox 5 News reports.
The condition has been dubbed ‘Covid toes’ and is being studied by a task force at the American Academy of Dermatology that is looking into a number of skin issues reported by Covid-19 patients.
Cases have been recorded across the world, in the US, France, Italy, Spain and China, and it is being explored as a possible sign that Covid-19 may be more prevalent in the population than was previously thought.
Similar in appearance to chilblains, it is believed that a case of ‘Covid toes’ signals a mild or asymptomatic infection, and may develop weeks after exposure to the coronavirus.
Other skin conditions have also been linked to the virus including hives, red blotches and various rashes — but none with the prevalence of Covid toes.
“The good news is that the chilblain-like lesions usually mean you’re going to be fine,” Dr Fox told The New York Times. “Usually it’s a good sign your body has seen Covid and is making a good immune reaction to it.”
It is not yet understood why the condition occurs. One theory is that they are caused by inflammation, which causes some of the other symptoms of Covid-19; another suggests that they are the results of micro-blood clots, another manifestation of the virus.
The condition usually heals within a week, though some cases last longer. It does not leave any long-term damage to skin.
The advice for those who develop this symptom is to contact a doctor and to get tested for both Covid-19 and its antibodies. You could potentially be infectious.
