Special Issue: The skin during the COVID-19 pandemic: part 1. (Special Issue: The skin during the COVID-19 pandemic: part 1.)

ABSTRACT

This special issue consists of 25 articles which include a review the first pandemic in recorded history beginning in the crowded walled city of Athens. Topics covered include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the course and management of chronic inflammatory immune-mediated skin diseases with particular focus on psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa;the problems of susceptibility, severity, and therapeutic options in patients with connective tissue diseases during the coronavirus infection era, focusing on lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, systemic scleroderma, and vasculitides;how the current pandemic has affected the diagnostic approach, staging, and management of primary cutaneous lymphoma;antimicrobials and anti-androgen drugs prescribed to patients with various types of alopecia in addition to immunomodulatory therapies, such as hydroxychloroquine, oral corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants. A systematic review of the current literature related to the cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 in the pediatric population, focusing on pediatric chilblains and its association with the novel coronavirus infection is also provided. The multivariate pattern of occupational skin diseases observed during the COVID-19 pandemic is overviewed and classified by Razvigor Darlenski and his co-authors into four subgroups Mechanical skin injury, moisture-associated skin damage, contact reactions, and exacerbation of pre-existing dermatoses;numerous clinical photographs complete the discussion. Grisha Mateev and his colleagues advocate the hypothesis that the BCG vaccine, as a nonspecific stimulation of the immunity, will increase the chances for resistance to the novel coronavirus, thus decreasing the related morbidity and mortality and providing basic or even partial protection against SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 pandemic has bypassed the clinical trials industry, as D..d..e F. Murrell and her team emphasize delineating the number of challenges clinical research is currently facing, for example, site closures, mandatory self-isolation, travel restrictions, and interruptions to delivery of investigational products or staff or trial subjects becoming infected with SARS-COV-2;the authors provide practical considerations and recommendations for dermatology clinical trial operations. Finally, W. Clark Lambert and his co-authors provide a global overview of the profound effect of COVID-19 not only on our lives and careers, but also on all lessons that we can, and should, learn from this pandemic.