What Is COVID Toes? New Coronavirus Symptom Mostly Affects Kids And Young Adults

A new symptom of COVID-19 has been identified by doctors wherein a person infected with coronavirus has purple or blue lesions on his or her feet and toes. The strange symptom has been found largely in kids and young adults suffering from COVID-19 and has been informally dubbed “COVID toes” by the doctors.

“They’re typically painful to touch and could have a hot burning sensation,” said Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, chief of infectious disease at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.

The other crucial factor about the symptom is that it appears in COVID-19 patients who don’t exhibit any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, just like the symptom of loss of taste and smell, discovered by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and ENT UK in late March.

In some cases, “COVID toes” appears to be the very first symptom that appears before one progresses to other symptoms like cough and shortness of breath.

“This is a manifestation that occurs early on in the disease, meaning you have this first, then you progress. Sometimes this might be your first clue that they have COVID when they don’t have any other symptoms,” Ebbing said, adding that while in some cases “COVID toes” can disappear in 7-10 days, in other people it can be the stepping stone to symptoms like respiratory issues.

Reflecting upon the fact that the new symptom appears mostly in children and young adults, Ebbing explained that this may be because of the stronger immune systems in children and young adults.

As for what causes “COVID toes", medical experts have two theories- one, that it is an inflammatory response more localized to a patient’s foot and toes, or two, maybe it is caused by the clotting of blood vessels. But the exact answer is not available as of now.

The preliminary research conducted on the occurrence of “COVID toes” in coronavirus positive patients has shown that the one’s having this symptom will most likely test negative for COVID-19. But it is still indicative of the fact that the virus is in its earliest stages. Thus, Ebbing has advised people witnessing this symptom to self-quarantine at home, observe proper hygiene, and look out for other symptoms.