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Mar 1, 2022 · Cutaneous findings can be clues to diagnosis and infection severity in viral illnesses, including COVID-19. The authors provide an update on the diagnostic and prognostic value of the 5 most common cutaneous abnormalities associated with COVID-19 in adult patients: morbilliform rash, urticaria, vesicles, pseudo-chilblains, and vaso-occlusive lesions.
- Overview
- Symptoms of COVID-19 rash
- Most common types of COVID-19 rash
- What to do
- How long does the rash last in adults?
- How to treat a COVID-19 rash
- What else could it be?
- Summary
Although COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, it can also cause rashes. What a COVID-19 rash looks like can vary, and it can occur anywhere on the skin and in the mouth.
Other symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, fatigue, cough, and shortness of breath. However, not everyone experiences all of these. For some, a rash may be one of the only symptoms.
Experts are unsure how common rashes are in adults with COVID-19. A 2020 study of over 2,000 individuals estimated that skin symptoms affect around 1% of those with the disease. However, a 2021 review of nearly 900 people reported a much higher incidence of 12%.
This article examines COVID-19 rashes in adults, including their symptoms and appearance. It also discusses other conditions that may cause similar rashes.
Coronavirus data
All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub for the most recent information on COVID-19.
People with COVID-19 can experience various rashes, so no single type of rash can reliably indicate a person has the illness. Someone with the condition may have:
•a blotchy area of discoloration
•tiny red, purple, or darker brown spots
•itchy, raised bumps
•small blisters that resemble chickenpox
•a web-like pattern on the skin
According to a 2022 review, some of the most common types of COVID-19 rash are:
•Morbilliform: This is the most common type of rash. It resembles measles in appearance, consisting of spots that scatter across the skin. Some may overlap to form larger patches of discoloration.
•Urticarial: Urticaria, or hives, consists of raised, itchy bumps on the skin that doctors call welts or wheals. Current data suggest that hives has links to milder cases of COVID-19.
•Vesicular: These rashes consist of tiny spots similar to chickenpox. In lighter skin tones, the spots may be red, while in darker skin tones they may be red, purple, or darker brown.
•COVID toes: COVID toes refer to painful chilblain-like bumps that can appear on the toes during COVID-19. However, scientists are unsure if this is a symptom of the condition. This is because people with this symptom often have few other COVID-19 symptoms and do not always test positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease.
•Oral lesions: Some people experience sores or ulcers around the mouth and lips.
If a person develops a new rash and other potential COVID-19 symptoms or has recently been in contact with someone with COVID-19, they should follow local healthcare guidelines for getting a test.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms receive testing immediately. If a person has exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and has no symptoms, they should wait at least 5 days before testing.
Other symptoms of COVID-19 include:
•fever
•chills
•cough
Experts are still learning about COVID-19 and how it affects the skin. Currently, it seems that rashes relating to the condition typically last between 2 and 12 days, with an average of 8 days.
However, in some cases, a COVID rash can last many months. Long COVID is a potential complication of COVID-19. It occurs when symptoms last many weeks or months after the initial infection. A rash can be one of the symptoms of long COVID.
For most people, COVID-19 causes mild symptoms and goes away on its own. This should also include any rashes it causes. In fact, some skin symptoms, such as hives and COVID toes, appear to have links to milder disease.
However, the rash may itch or cause discomfort. To ease the symptoms, people can:
•apply a cold compress
•wash with lukewarm or cool water
•try to avoid scratching, as this may make the symptoms worse
For COVID toes, the American Academy of Dermatology Association advises using hydrocortisone cream to reduce itchiness and pain.
If a person has a rash, they should not assume it is COVID-19 according to its appearance alone, as other conditions can cause similar rashes and flu-like symptoms. Similarly to COVID-19, these conditions can be highly contagious.
Infectious illnesses that also cause a rash include:
•measles
•shingles
•rubella
•mononucleosis, or mono
A COVID-19 rash in adults can vary in appearance. It may look similar to hives, chickenpox, chilblains, or measles. These rashes will typically go away on their own in 2–12 days. However, some types of rash are more severe and may require treatment. Additionally, in cases of long COVID, rashes persist for many weeks or months.
A COVID-19 rash may occur with other COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, chills, and fatigue. However, it may also appear on its own. The only way to be sure of the cause is to take a test.
Mar 13, 2024 · What are the signs and symptoms of a COVID rash? The most common skin manifestations of COVID-19 are morbilliform rashes, which consist of an itchy, generalized, maculopapular rash with flat or slightly elevated lesions that are rose-red. Urticaria, also known as hives, is also common in COVID-19.
Jun 16, 2022 · Additionally, a systematic review reported a possible link between vesicular eruptions and neurologic symptoms, including headache, dysgeusia, irritability and confusion. Like those with morbilliform rash or urticaria, patients with COVID-19 with vesicular eruptions have high survival rates (96.1% to 96.6%). Advertisement.
May 12, 2020 · Cutaneous manifestations, a well-known effect of viral infections, are beginning to be reported in patients with COVID-19 disease. These manifestations most often are morbilliform rash, urticaria, vesicular eruptions, acral lesions, and livedoid eruptions. Some of these cutaneous manifestations arise before the signs and symptoms more commonly associated with COVID-19, suggesting that they ...
- Sarah Young, Anthony P. Fernandez
- 2020
Feb 2, 2021 · Investigators have variedly characterized macular‐papular lesions in Covid‐19 patients as erythematic, purpuric rash, and morbilliform. This lesion appears after the onset of other symptoms of Covid‐19 in most cases, however, few studies reported the appearance of eruptions before any other symptoms.
The first COVID-19-associated cutaneous manifestation with purpuric features was reported by Joob et al. , who described a petechial rash misdiagnosed as dengue in a COVID-19 patient. Purpuric lesions have been suggested to occur more frequently in elderly patients with severe COVID-19, likely representing the cutaneous manifestations ...
