A RED rash could be another symptom of coronavirus, experts have warned.
Data from Italy suggests as many as one in five people who are hospitalised with the killer bug may develop rashes or unexplained marks on their skin.
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A rash could potentially be the first – or only- sign of Covid-19 in some cases.
The NHS lists the main symptoms of coronavirus as a persistent dry cough and a fever.
It is estimated that up to eight out of 10 people who come down with the virus only experience mild, or show no symptoms of the illness at all.
Other symptoms people have reported feeling are a loss of taste and smell as well as digestive issues.
Now there is a growing number of reports of coronavirus patients who have developed rashes, and experts are trying to determine if it is caused by the virus.
An NHS consultant dermatologist said: “I have seen quite a few patients who don’t normally suffer from eczema or allergies who have a sudden, odd rash.
“Then, maybe two or three days later, they have developed typical Covid-19 symptoms. For some patients, we believe a rash may be the only symptom that they get.
“The public should look out for this and other possible symptoms in members of their household.”
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At the Lecco Hospital in Lombardy, one of the hardest-hit regions in the world, 20 per cent of 88 infected patients experienced changes to their skin.
They study showed that none of them had taken drugs that could have caused the reaction.
Eight of the 18 patients who did notice changes to their skin do so as one of their first symptoms.
Doctors have also reported red patches on toes and fingers that can be caused by cold temperatures – known as chilblains.
Professor Hywel Williams, co-director of the centre of evidence-based dermatology at the University of Nottingham: “The skin is the largest organ in the body – and it’s visible.
“So if you are very unwell, and your lungs are sick, it’s not surprising really that the skin reacts in some way in about a fifth of cases.”
It is common that viruses can cause skin rashes, but what is unusual about the rashes in coronavirus patients is they seem to vary in appearance.
Scientists don’t understand why the rashes occur, but it is thought it could be a side effect of the body trying to bring the virus under control.
Dalia Dawoud, 46, from London, noticed a red rash on her body five days after her husband, 51, start showing coronavirus symptoms.
The rash looked similar to chicken pox but with smaller, less itchy pimples.
She came down with the virus after her husband, an A&E consultant, tested positive – so the diagnosis wasn’t too much of a surprise.
However, the rash was unexpected.
Dalia, a scientific adviser, said: “I didn’t have any of the flu-like symptoms. This rash was the first thing to appear.”
Dr Bataille has stressed that a rash is not something to be necessarily concerned about, especially if a patient has reacted in a similar way in the past.
However, any new rash in adults or children should be discussed with a GP.
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