Orange discoloration of the skin in mother and newborn with SARS-CoV-2 infection: is hypercarotenosis a sign of COVID-19?

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and represents a potentially fatal disease. Recently, dermatological manifestations have been reported to be signs of COVID-19. We describe a case of a newborn and her mother affected by SARS-CoV-2, that developed hypercarotenosis (HC) about 5 weeks after delivery. The aim of this report is to identify the pathological mechanism of this association and to underline the importance of investigating any dubious skin manifestation in case of contact with patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, because it may be a clinical sign of infection. Even if not previously described in the literature, this case report suggests a possible association between HC and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords

• hypercarotenosis
• newborn
• skin
• covid-19
• sars-cov-2