Cutaneous Manifestations Associated with COVID-19 Infection in a COVID-Designated Hospital in North Chennai – A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects different organ systems, including the skin. There are reports on cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 available in the literature. In this study, we have tried to describe the dermatological signs of COVID-19 in different categories of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to describe various cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 in different categories of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-positive COVID-19 patients in a COVID-designated tertiary care hospital. Approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee, and 5460 RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19-positive patients were included under five categories. Investigators following a strict COVID protocol examined and documented the findings. Investigations and treatment were carried out as per the protocol, and the study was conducted for a period of 6 months. RESULTS: Out of the 5460 patients studied, 1.9% patients had cutaneous manifestations. Vasculitis (24%) and maculo papular rash (19%) were the common findings. The incidence of vasculitis was 44.4%, 61%, and 6.6% in categories A, B, and C, respectively. Maculopapular rash and urticaria were the common findings in categories D and E, respectively. COVID digit was seen in only one case. Other manifestations such as acne, adverse drug reaction, erythroderma, and bullous disorders were also noted. CONCLUSION: Cutaneous manifestations because of vascular pathology were the most common association in severe COVID-19, which indicates that the presence of vasculitic skin signs correlated with disease severity and elevated d-dimer values. Urticaria and maculo-papular rash were transient and did not give any clue to the diagnosis or severity of the disease.