Evaluation of Clinical and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 Patients with Dermatological Involvements: A Single-Center Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Cutaneous manifestations of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) are increasingly reported, with their incidence and pathophysiological mechanisms yet to be clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate COVID-19 patients presenting with dermatological involvement. Materials and Methods: COVID-19 patients with dermatological involvements followed up in a single tertiary center between August 2020 and August 2021 were assessed in terms of demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory findings, and treatment methods. Results: A total of 65 patients (female:male ratio= 0.4:1, mean age= 59.7 ± 18.2 years) were evaluated. The dermatological involvements due to COVID-19 were maculopapular rash (n= 49, 75.4%), urticaria (n= 9, 13.8%), herpes zoster (HZ) (n= 6, 9.2%), and pernio (n= 1, 1.5%). In COVID-19 patients with dermatological involvements pulmonary involvement rate was 96.9%. The most common accompanying symptoms were anosmia (n= 47, 72.3%) and ageusia (n= 43, 66.2%), The mean time between the first COVID-19 symptom and the onset of dermatological involvement was 3.3 ± 1.2 days, and the mean time to regression of the lesions was 3.2 ± 1.8 days. Conclusion: Anosmia, ageusia, and pulmonary involvement were common findings especially in patients with maculopapular rash and HZ, probably due to increased inflammation and cytokine storm. The assessment of anosmia and ageusia, especially in patients presenting with maculopapular rash and HZ, may help early recognition of COVID-19 cases. In addition, it should be predicted that individuals with this combination may have a higher risk of pulmonary involvement and disease severity and necessary precautions should be taken during the early stages