MU dermatologist explains possible rashes seen in COVID-19 patients

COLUMBIA, Mo.

Early studies are showing some rashes could show up in COVID-19 patients, even after the infection.

Dr. Johnathon Dyer, a dermatologist with University of Missouri Health Care, said there have been several different types of rashes reported with COVID-19, including one that gained national attention deemed "COVID Toes."

"The problem is we are early into understanding all of this and what they actually mean," Dyer said.

Dyer said it's common for viral infections to be accompanied by some sort of rash in children, but the virus does not spread through those rashes.

"So what we are really going to have to sort out, and it's going to take some time, is are any of the rashes really specific to COVID-19 or are they just general rashes that we see with other viral infections," Dyer said.

Dyer explained "COVID Toes" as purple or red bumps on fingers or toes that are sometimes itchy. He said many times, they show up later in the course of the COVID-19 infection, or even in children who were infected but did not show any symptoms.

"It's going to be interesting as we learn more to see if 'COVID toes' for example is a marker of a child that maybe had COVID-19 and had no other symptoms, but that remains to be determined," Dyer said.

Preliminary data show these rashes are not common among COVID-19 patients across the globe. Dyer said the exact number is a moving target. Data from Spain show 20 percent of COVID patients experienced some form of rash, while China reported a much smaller number.

Dyer believes it will end up being somewhere less than 10 percent of COVID-19 patients.

Dyer said this is an active time of year for all types of different rashes in children. He said parents are worried it's COVID-19 related, they should look out for other symptoms of the virus and contact a doctor if they have any questions.

"It's a difficult time, it's a confusing time, and it's a scary time for families and for parents," Dyer said.

He said most rashes won't be related to COVID-19 and that doctors and dermatologists can see patients using remote visits.

"Almost all the rashes we're going to be seeing are not COVID-19 rashes," Dyer said.

Watch ABC17 News at 6 for a full report.