From Brief19: Covid-19 And Blood Clots? Dermatologists Weigh | Figure 1

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From Brief19: Covid-19 And Blood Clots? Dermatologists Weigh In

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May 4, 2020

A case report posted for public viewing in a Google Document by a team of investigators led by a Yale physician describes the biopsy findings of a 22-year old otherwise healthy man with suspected covid-19 who developed small blood clots in his feet. The patient reported that the rash caused burning and pain. A previous report by another team of researchers described a covid-19 patient with similar skin findings. However, that group had not found evidence of clots. That team believed the rash in their patient to be similar to a condition known as "pernio" or "chilblains," which is caused by inflammation, usually in response to long-term repeated exposure to wet and cold temperatures. The team at Yale believes that the previous researchers' failure to identify evidence of blood clots may have been due to timing and location of the biopsy. In this current report, a deeper biopsy was performed. The hallmark signs of small but abnormal blood clots were observed. These "microthrombi" are similar to lesions found in the lungs in deceased covid-19 patients, (as previously described in Brief19). While only an unpublished case report, the findings contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that covid-19 causes (or is associated with) the development of blood clots.

However, the patient described in this paper had suspected, though not confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. A more compelling report would include multiple patients with confirmed infection.

Shared with permission from Brief19, a daily review of #covid-19 research and policy.

Read more in today’s Brief19

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