Covid toe infection?

The skin condition known as covid toe may be a side-effect of the immune systems response to fighting off the virus, according to a study. The symptoms result in a chilblain-like inflammation and redness on the hands and feet, with thee condition sometimes lasting for months at a time. It typically develops within a to four weeks of being infected and can result in toes and fingers becoming swollen or changing color.

Researchers behind the study, which has been publisher in the British journal of dermatology, doctors examined 50 participants with the condition and 13 with similar chilblains lesions that arose before the pandemic. They found one mechanism behind both types of the of the condition involved the body generating an immune response high level of certain autoantibodies, which mistakenly target and react with a person's own cells and tissues as well as the invading virus. They also found an overlap with type 1 interferon and a key protein in the antiviral response.

In addition to the immune system, cells lining blood vessels that supply the affected areas also seem to appear to play a critical role in the development of covid toes and chilblains. The senior of the study, Dr Charles Cassius, said the research provided a deeper understanding of the condition. “The epidemiology and clinical features of chilblain-like lesions have been extensively studied and published. However, little is known about the pathophysiology involved. Our study provides new insights.”

Concerns were raised in the opening months of the pandemic that so-called Covid toe was one of the non-recognized symptoms of infection, after patients in several countries reported the condition even though, in some cases, they displayed none of the usual symptoms.