We recently told you about a strange early symptom of COVID-19. Patients were reporting that they had lost their sense of smell.
Since we brought you that article, loss of sense of smell has become one of the widely accepted symptoms that doctors use to diagnose coronavirus.
Now, COVID-19 patients are reporting another bizarre, possible early warning sign: foot sores. Doctors in Spain, Italy, and France have noted patients with purple, chicken pox-like lesions on their toes.
AAs many as 20% of coronavirus patients in Italy’s Manzoni hospital had the symptom. Researchers found that 88 patients there displayed these foot sores. Younger patients are most likely to have them.
Spain’s General Council of Official Colleges of Podiatrists opened a registry for medical professionals to report the foot lesions. “The Podiatrists Council urges its colleges and members to remain alert because this can be a sign” of COVID-19.[i]
One of the first cases was reported by the International Federation of Podiatrists.
Doctors initially thought a 13-year-old Italian boy had bites from a brown recluse spider. But two days later, he developed fever, muscle pain, and a headache.
Soon after, photos of sores on the feet of COVID-19 patients began appearing on dermatologists’ websites and in social media. Suspicious doctors then took a closer look at the boy’s family.
They found that his mother and sister had COVID-19 symptoms before the boy’s lesions appeared.
Dr. Daniel Gordon, a general practitioner with Britain’s National Health Service, said it’s not surprising that COVID-19 causes skin symptoms.
“Many viruses cause skin rashes and marks,” he said.[ii]
Dr. Randy Jacobs is an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California. He said COVID-19 can cause clotting in small blood vessels.
Surprising COVID-19 Symptoms Are Appearing
Other emerging coronavirus symptoms are being reported by scientists.
A study in China found 36% of COVID-19 patients had neurological issues such as headaches, dizziness, and nerve pain. If their illness became more severe, they had even worse neurological ailments: seizures, confusion, and stroke.[iii]
This may be because the virus latched onto ACE2 receptors. They line your respiratory tracts. Coronavirus latches onto them to get into the lungs. But ACE2 receptors also are found in other parts of the body, including the nervous system.
Before the outbreak, few people would have associated loss of smell, possible foot sores, or nerve pain with a respiratory infection like coronavirus. If you have any of these symptoms, don’t wait. Isolate yourself immediately from others in your home.
And get a coronavirus test as soon as you can. Fast action could save your life or that of a loved one.
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[i]https://nypost.com/2020/04/14/foot-sores-could-be-an-early-sign-of-coronavirus-experts-say/
[ii]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8217901/Could-bruises-FEET-sign-coronavirus-Doctors-suspect-link.html
[iii]https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2764549