Chilblain-like lesions (COVID-19 toes) have the same impact on family members than psoriasis systemically treated: insights from a case-control study targeting the pediatric population.

Abstract

COVID-19 toes represent the main dermatological COVID-19 cutaneous manifestation in pediatric patients. Its diagnosis exposes the whole family to social stigma and this aspect was not previously evaluated. This was a multicenter, case-control, observational study that compared the family impact of COVID-19 toes vs. psoriasis (PsO). We enrolled 46 pediatric patients (23 with psoriasis and 23 with COVID-19 toes, age and gender matched) and their parents/caregivers that had to fill the Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI) questionnaire. DFI index did not differ significantly between both subgroups (p=0.48), and in psoriatic patients did not correlate with both Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) (p=0.59) and itch-VAS (p=0.16). COVID-19 toes, a transitory dermatosis, exerted a similar impact/perturbation on family dynamics than PsO, a well-known stigmatizing, chronic inflammatory dermatosis.