Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (Oct 2022)
Cutaneous Eruptions in the Course of COVID-19 Among Geriatric Patients in a Nursing Home in Poland
Abstract
Joanna Rybak-d’Obyrn,1 Waldemar Placek,1 Agnieszka Owczarczyk-Saczonek,1 Maria Derkaczew,1 Ewelina Joniec,1 Robert Hofman,1 Małgorzata Stompór2 1Department of Dermatology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Clinical Immunology, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland; 2Department of Family Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, PolandCorrespondence: Maria Derkaczew, Tel +48 607654914, Email [email protected]: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and characteristics of COVID-19 cutaneous manifestations among geriatric patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Patients and Methods: Sixty-four nursing home residents in Dobre Miasto, Poland (mean age: 79 years) infected with SARS-CoV-2 were monitored for skin lesions during the epidemic outbreak in 2020. Only five of them presented COVID-19 dermatological manifestation: vesicular (4 cases) and erythematous (1 case) skin lesions, which appeared after the remaining symptoms of the disease had resolved.Results: The average time between COVID-19 onset and cutaneous manifestation was 22 days. Skin lesions persisted in five cases 112, 17, 21,19 and 27 days, respectively, and were often accompanied by pruritus and neuropathic pain.Conclusion: Skin manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection might be misdiagnosed or overlooked, particularly among elderly patients with chronic diseases. The recognition of skin lesions due to COVID-19 might improve patients’ quality of life by reducing the intensity of symptoms such as pruritus or neuropathic pain.Keywords: geriatrics, dermatology, skin manifestation, vesicular
