COVID Toes condition that causes purple rashes in patients’ toes prompts medical attention
A large number of the COVID Toes ailment has been reported from across the globe, and this condition is an immune response wherein the body attacks its own tissues
Ever come across the term COVID Toes? At a time when COVID-19 and coronavirus are being discussed threadbare, there is this new coinage that has begun being explored by medical practitioners and the general public alike. What exactly is COVID Toes? Rashes that appear on a person’s toes soon after they are infected with coronavirus is what it is all about. There have been a large number of COVID Toes ailments reported from across the globe in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not much attention had been given to these reports.
Medical practitioners had dismissed this condition as just caused by inflammation or blood clots in the toes. However, further research has revealed that it was not what was thought to be.
COVID Toes- A immune response where the body attacks its own tissues
COVID-19 patients have increasingly reported this ailment, which appears like rashes on the toes. A new study has revealed that this condition is an immune response wherein the body attacks its own tissues.
The results of the study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, have thrown light on why purple patches appear on the toes and sometimes the fingers. As many as 50 patients were treated as samples. Most of these patients were those who had high levels of autoantibodies, which are proteins generated by the immune system that inadvertently attack the body’s own tissues.
When compared with healthy individuals, these participants of the study exhibited rampant activity of proteins called type 1 interferons that switch on pathogen-fighting genes in immune cells.
These interferons help fight off viruses, thereby prompting human cells to suffer collateral damage in the process, a LiveScience report said.
Blood vessel linings get affected by COVID Toes
It was also found that the lining of the blood vessels of the people in the study was damaged, and that had contributed to the appearance of the rashes on their toes.
It has been found that COVID Toes usually appear one to four weeks after a person contracts the COVID-19 virus.
