Do Parents Need to Be Wary of COVID Toes in Kids?

 Among one of the more peculiar reported symptoms of COVID-19 has been the mysterious “COVID toes.” In the last six months, there have been multiple reported cases of people with red, sore, itchy, and discolored toes, generally, with no or limited other symptoms, that would suggest they were sick with COVID-19.

For many, this condition feels like chilblains, where one gets red or purple tender bumps on the fingers or toes. Generally, this condition occurs as a reaction to cold temperatures. However, when reports of people experiencing the condition began rolling in even from warm regions, experts were taken by surprise.

"COVID toes" could be a clue for kids without any other symptoms

Health professionals say that the infection is painful to the touch and could have a hot burning sensation. Interestingly, however, COVID toes seem to be appearing in COVID-19 patients who haven’t displayed any other symptoms related to the disease. “This is a manifestation that occurs early on in the disease, meaning you have this first, then you progress,” said Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, chief of infectious disease at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine to USA Today. “Sometimes this might be your first clue that they have COVID when they don’t have any other symptoms.”

Curiously, the symptom of COVID toes appears to be affecting many children and young adults, too, apart from adults.

So far, the coronavirus didn’t seem to have much of an effect on kids or babies as much as it has adults. In cases where children or teens did get the virus, they generally had mild symptoms and recovered relatively quickly. However, COVID toes could be a clue for young people without any apparent symptoms.

Apparently, the discoloration appears in children before they get any other symptoms. This means that if you notice a red or purplish kind of rash on your child’s toes, then it may be an indicator of them having contracted the coronavirus and it would be better to get them checked immediately. 

Earlier this year, a new study from Spain recently published in the British Journal of Dermatology looked at 7 children with painful chilblain-like symptoms on their toes. The experts took a tiny biopsy sample from the toes to look at and found coronavirus particles within the tiny blood vessel cells of the feet. This provides the strongest evidence that the virus may be directly responsible for this symptom.

Symptoms of “COVID toes”

As of now, those with COVID toes appear to have the following symptoms:

* Red or purple tender bumps on the fingers or toes.

* A burning sensation, often with pain and tenderness.

* In a few cases, there have been small colorful circles on the bottom of the foot or the big toe.

No one knows exactly why the novel coronavirus might cause chilblain-like lesions. But if one does develop them, it is important to not panic.

“The good news is that the chilblain-like lesions usually mean you’re going to be fine,” says Dr. Lindy Fox, a dermatologist in San Francisco. “Usually it’s a good sign your body has seen COVID and is making a good immune reaction to it.”

Be cautious but don’t panic 

Do note that dermatologists have been trying to understand COVID toes for the last six months and still aren’t completely sure about it. There have been a few conflicting studies in the past couple of months on this subject - a few that support the link between COVID-19 and COVID toes and other ones that deny it. Moreover, there’s still confusion and mystery of whether or not people who develop COVID toes are actually infected with the virus.

“We are still trying to figure out the exact relationship between "COVID toes" and the virus with regards to whether a person is infectious or will develop immunity as a result. Other causes of chilblains still exist, so we recommend a person see their primary care doctor or dermatologist if they notice these skin findings,” says Roxana Daneshjou, MD, Ph.D., Dermatologist, and Clinical Scholar at Stanford Dermatology.

Thus, more scientific evidence and analysis will be required to understand its symptoms and confirm if it’s related to COVID-19. Furthermore, in most cases of children with COVID toes, the symptoms seem to go away after about 2-3 weeks. That being said, there’s no harm being a little cautious if you notice your child having similar symptoms and consulting your primary care doctor or a dermatologist to rule out other possible causes.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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How long after getting infected with COVID-19 can a person remain contagious?

Here is the answer!

The global burden of the coronavirus cases is increasing with each passing day. The number of positive cases is touching a new high daily, with no possible measure to slow it down. By far we know that coronavirus is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract. It is spread through tiny droplets from the nose and mouth suspended from an infected person while coughing, sneezing or hand-to-mouth contact. Given the circumstances, the best precautionary measures one can take is to cover their nose and mouth when they are around people, especially in public places. This can reduce the chances of getting infected with the deadly virus by 50 per cent. But the question remains: how long after getting infected with COVID-19 can a person still pass on the virus to others?

What is the incubation time for COVID-19

Incubation time is referred to as the period between getting exposed to the virus by different means and the onset of the symptoms.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), coronavirus takes 1 to 14 days to show symptoms like coughing, breathlessness, fever and exhaustion. In most cases, the signs are visible within 4 to 6 days after being exposed to the virus.

How long an infected person can pass on the virus

As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people suffering from COVID-19 are highly contagious when they are showing the symptoms. The first 7 days after the symptoms start to show is a high-risk phase. Besides, some people may even start spreading the virus 1 to 3 days before showing the symptoms. The period varies from person to person and on the severity of the condition. The higher the viral load, the higher is the risk of transmission.

When is the person no longer infected

Recovering from coronavirus can be a time taking process. In mild cases, the recovery time is 1 or 2 weeks. However, in severe cases, it may take up to 3 to 4 weeks to test negative for COVID-19.

As per the CDC, if a person is symptoms free for 3 days, without taking any medicines and they developed the symptoms 10 days prior then they are not considered to be infectious.

What study suggest

However, there are studies that suggest that the virus stays in the body for a long time after recovery.

As per a study carried out in Hong Kong, the strains of the virus can be found in the blood for 20 days after the onset of the symptoms.

Another study carried out in China revealed that coronavirus can be found in the faecal sample of infected people for about five weeks after the first onset.

These two studies indicate that the strain of coronavirus may remain in the body for much longer than expected. But CDC clarified this does not necessarily mean that a person is infectious. This issue still remains unclear and more study is needed to draw out the conclusion.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement