Demographic characteristics of the patients with cutaneous vasculitis due to COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) range from mild skin rashes to severe vasculitis. In the current study, we evaluated the demographic characteristics of the patients with cutaneous vasculitis following COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: In the current study, we evaluated 799 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 infection for development of cutaneous vasculitis. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were obtained using questionnaires and patients' records. Cutaneous vasculitis of the suspected patients were confirmed using skin biopsy and direct immunofluorescence. Results: We detected 24 hospitalised cases with cutaneous vasculitis presenting with petechia, purpura, livedoretcularis and acrocyanosis. Our data showed a significant relationship between male sex, advanced age, C-reactive protein (CRP) level and presence of comorbidities with development of cutaneous vasculitis. In addition, we found a positive association between the severity of COVID-19 infection and occurrence of cutaneous vasculitis. Conclusion: Our findings are suggestive that clinicians must be aware of cutaneous vasculitis risk as prognostic value in the patients with severe COVID-19 infection.