Fever, Rash, and Cough in a 7-Year-Old Boy.

A 7-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with fever, cough, congestion, abdominal pain, myalgias, and morbilliform rash. Several aspects of the patient's history, including recent travel, living on a farm, exposure to sick contacts, and new medications, resulted in a wide differential diagnosis. Initial laboratory testing revealed leukocytosis with neutrophilia and elevated atypical lymphocytes, but did not reveal any infectious causes of illness. He was discharged from the hospital, but then represented to the emergency department a day later with worsening rash, continued fever, abdominal pain, and poor intake. He was then admitted. A more comprehensive laboratory evaluation was initiated. During this hospital course, the patient's physical examination changed when he developed head and neck edema, and certain laboratory trends became clearer. With the assistance of several specialists, the team was able to reach a more definitive diagnosis and initiate treatment to appropriately manage his condition.

COVID 19-associated chilblain-like acral lesions among children and adolescents: an Italian retrospective, multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, great interest has been given to this disease, especially to its possible clinical presentations. Besides classical respiratory symptoms, dermatological manifestations occur quite often among infected and non-infected patients, particularly in children. A prominent IFN-I response, that is generally higher in children compared to adults, may not only cause chilblain lesions, but it could also prevent infection and viral replication, thus justifying the negative swab results, as well as the absence of relevant systemic symptoms in positive cases. Indeed, reports have emerged describing chilblain-like acral lesions in children and adolescents with either proven or suspected infection. METHODS: Patients aged from 1 to 18 years old were enrolled in this study from 23 Italian dermatological units and were observed for an overall period of 6 months. Clinical pictures were collected along with data on the location and duration of skin lesions, their association with concomitant local and systemic symptoms, presence of nail and/or mucosal involvement, as well as histological, laboratory and imaging findings. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-seven patients were included, of whom 56.9% were females. Mean age was 11.97±3.66 years. The most commonly affected sites were the feet (77 patients, 56.2%). Lesions (48.5%) featured cyanosis, chilblains, blisters, ecchymosis, bullae, erythema, edema, and papules. Concomitant skin manifestations included maculo-papular rashes (30%), unspecified rashes (25%), vesicular rashes (20%), erythema multiforme (10%), urticaria (10%) and erythema with desquamation (5%). Forty-one patients (29.9%) reported pruritus as the main symptom associated with chilblains, and 56 out of 137 patients also reported systemic symptoms such as respiratory symptoms (33.9%), fever (28%), intestinal (27%), headache (5.5%), asthenia (3.5%), and joint pain (2%). Associated comorbid conditions were observed in 9 patients presenting with skin lesions. Nasopharyngeal swabs turned out positive in 11 patients (8%), whereas the remainder were either negative (101, 73%) or unspecified (25, 18%). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has been credited as the etiology of the recent increase in acro-ischemic lesions. The present study provides a description of pediatric cutaneous manifestations deemed to be potentially associated with COVID-19, revealing a possible association between acral cyanosis and nasopharyngeal swab positivity in children and teenagers. The identification and characterization of newly recognized patterns of skin involvement may aid physicians in diagnosing cases of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic COVID patients.

Ponatinib-Associated Cutaneous Eruptions-A Case Series and Review of Clinicopathologic Findings.

ABSTRACT: Ponatinib is a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cutaneous toxicities are a commonly reported side effect of ponatinib treatment with "rash" being one of the most common. Specific subtypes are infrequently reported, but include hyperkeratotic, folliculocentric, ichthyosiform, and pityriasis rubra pilaris-like eruptions. Herein, we highlight the clinicopathologic features of 2 cases of ponatinib-induced pityriasis rubra pilaris-like eruptions. We also classify the clinical and histopathologic features of all previously reported ponatinib-associated eruptions in the literature and discuss treatment and potential diagnostic pitfalls.

Cutaneous manifestations of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has been linked to a variety of dermatological conditions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the presence of various cutaneous manifestations in patients with COVID-19, also to define their features in relation to the systemic symptoms. METHODS: This research enrolled a total of 1206 lab-confirmed COVID-19 individuals at a tertiary-care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Expert dermatologists assessed patients for COVID-related skin conditions. COVID-19 severity was categorized as asymptomatic/mild, moderate, or severe. RESULTS: Of the 102 (85.7%) patients with only one cutaneous sign, 26.5% developed maculopapular/morbiliform/erythematous rash; 14.7% urticaria; 9.85% vesicular/pustular exanthem; 14.7% vascular pattern; 12.7% infections, 7.8% miscellaneous and 9.8% late cutaneous findings A longer-lasting vascular pattern was related with an older age and a fatal COVID-19 outcomes (P: 0.000) compared with mild/moderate disease. Most of the retiform purpura presented exclusively with thromboembolic episodes. The moderate severity was correlated with maculopapular/morbiliform/exanthematous phenotype (P: 0.009), whereas urticaria was attributed to asymptomatic/mild disease (0.001) compared with moderate/severe infection. LIMITATIONS: Single-Center and observational study. CONCLUSION: Vascular lesions were correlated with disastrous COVID-19 outcomes, whereas retiform purpura was linked to adverse outcomes. The maculopapular/morbiliform/erythematous rash was associated with moderate severity, while the urticarial rash was linked to milder course compared with moderate/severe severity infection.

Covid-19 skin manifestations: an update.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 is a multisystemic disease manifesting mainly with dry cough, fever, and pneumonia and can present with a myriad of cutaneous manifestations. This chapter will review SARS-CoV-2 associated cutaneous findings, including incidence and relevance to the pediatric population. RECENT FINDINGS: The most commonly reported cutaneous findings described for COVID-19 in adults and children were chilblains-like lesions, followed by maculopapular eruption, urticarial lesions, vesicular lesions, and livedoid lesions. Children can also present with erythema multiforme (EM)-like lesions and skin findings associated with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). SUMMARY: There are numerous cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19, some of which are unique to children such as EM-like lesions and skin findings for MIS-C. Livedoid lesions do not commonly occur in the pediatric population. In mild cases, supportive care is indicated, whereas severe cases warrant intensive care and hospitalization.

Cutaneous Manifestations in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections.

While SARS-CoV-2 is known to cause pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), many extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 have also been observed. Cutaneous manifestations including erythematous rash, urticaria, and chickenpox-like vesicles have been described in patients with SARS-CoV-2. Six patients, two men and four women, in the age group of 50 to 60 years old, hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed with real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) presented cutaneous manifestations. The rash was confluent, spotty, centrifugal, and non-itchy on the head and torso. It was not hemorrhagic, and no crust or blisters were observed. The results of laboratory tests were normal, and the rash disappeared on its own. Several cases of cutaneous manifestations have been reported in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further studies are needed in order to assess the skin lesions and determine their association with COVID-19.

The Role of Malnutrition on Outocomes of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Due to Covid-19 in Children (preprint)

Background Malnutrition increases the complications and mortality in critically-ill children. A retrospective study was performed to define the role malnutrition on outcomes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) due to COVID-19 in children.Methods Patients with MIS-C due to COVID-19 were evaluated for demographic features, anthropometric parameters, clinical findings and outcomes. Patients with z scores of body mass index (> 5 years-of-age) and weight-for-age (< 5 years-of-age) < -2 were considered as malnourished. Sarcopenia was defined by total psoas muscle area (tPMA), calculated on abdominal computed tomography (CT) at the level of L3 and L4 vertebrae. The z scores <- 2 for tPMA were considered as sarcopenia. The results of patients with (M+) and without (M-) were compared.Results Twenty-seven patients were included. Forty-four percent (n = 12) of patients had malnutrition. Malnutrition was classified as mild to moderate (1/3), severe (1/3) and overweight (1/3). Eighty-two cases had acute malnutrition. Among MIS-C symptom criteria, rash was significantly higher in M + children (p<0.05). Laboratory investigations showed higher ferritin levels in M + patients (p<0.05). The median tPMA and sarcopenia is significantly higher in M + when compared to M- group (42% vs 7%, p<0.05). The oral feeding time, complication rates and length of hospital stay were similar in both groups (p>0.05).Conclusion Children with MIS-C due to COVID-19 already have mild to severe malnutrition at admission. Rash and higher ferritin levels are more common in patients with malnutrition. In addition to anthropometric parameters, sarcopenia calculated using tPMA can be used to predict malnutrition in critically-ill children.

Global incidence pattern and factors associated with common cutaneous reactions related to COVID-19 vaccination of 2.55 million participants in real-world settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Understanding the incidence pattern of cutaneous reactions is crucial for promoting COVID-19 vaccination. We aimed to report the global incidence pattern of, and factors associated with common cutaneous reactions related to COVID-19 vaccination in real-world settings. Methods: We searched five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang) from inception to May 13, 2022, for studies reporting the incidence of common cutaneous reactions related to COVID-19 vaccines in real-world settings. The outcomes were the systematic skin reactions (rash and urticaria) and the local injection site reactions (pain, swelling, redness, and erythema). We conducted random-effects meta-analyses and explored associated factors using multi-step statistical analyses. Results: We included 35 studies and assessed 2 549 968 participants from 23 countries. The pooled incidence of overall systemic skin reactions was 3.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.4%-5.5%) with short duration (about one week). Specifically, the pooled incidence rates of rash and urticaria were 3.0% (95% CI = 2.1%-3.9%) and 1.1% (95% CI = 0.7%-1.5%), respectively. For overall local injection site reactions, the pooled incidence was 72.4% (95% CI = 65.7%-78.7%) with short duration (1 to 4.5 days). Except for local pain (72.2%, 95% CI = 65.3%-78.5%), other localized reactions had low incidence, including swelling (13.3%, 95% CI = 9.5%-17.7%), redness (11.5%, 95% CI = 5.7%-19.0%), and erythema (5.8%, 95% CI = 0.7%-15.4%). Geographically, different distribution patterns were observed for these reactions. Regarding associated factors, mRNA vaccines showed lower incidence of urticaria (P < 0.001). Asia population showed higher incidence of urticaria (P < 0.001). We observed lower incidence rates of overall local injection site reactions and pain among inactivated vaccines (P < 0.001). We found no significant difference among reactions between the first and the second dose of vaccines. Conclusions: We examined the global incidence pattern of common cutaneous reactions related to COVID-19 vaccination and found low incidence and short duration of systemic skin reactions and local injection site reactions (except for pain); discrepancies in these reactions were observed across different vaccine types. The cutaneous side effects related to COVID-19 vaccination do not seem to cause concern. Registration: PROSPERO: CRD42021258012.

Present and future: Infectious tropical travel rashes and the impact of climate change.

In this article, we discuss pertinent cutaneous findings with which patients may present after travel to tropical destinations. We address arthropod-borne infectious diseases such as cutaneous leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, cutaneous larva migrans, and myiasis. We discuss other relevant diseases with cutaneous signs such as monkey pox and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We provide clinicians with information regarding the background, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these tropical rashes. In addition, we address the impact that climate change will have on the temporal and geographic incidence of these rashes. Viral, fungal, and vector-borne diseases have seen a geographic expansion into more northern latitudes. Among these are tick-borne Lyme disease, aquatic snail-related seabather's eruption, and atopic dermatitis. As these diseases spread, we believe that the updated information within this article is significant to the practicing physician in today's warming world.

Update in cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19: Special populations.

Cutaneous abnormalities were among the first clinical findings reported in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the significance was initially unclear. Correlations have since been drawn between many of these cutaneous eruptions and their diagnostic or prognostic value. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines have generated acute and delayed cutaneous reactions with which clinicians should be familiar. In this narrative review, we update the cutaneous abnormalities associated with COVID-19 infection for pediatric and non-White populations, and common cutaneous reactions to COVID-19 vaccines.