'Covid fingers': what is it, who has it and when it appears

“Covid fingers”: scientists explained why they appear, reports with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

Scientists have found out why some patients with coronavirus develop frostbite-like injuries to the big toes.

They say it could be a side effect of the body switching to virus-fighting mode.

They focused on the parts of the immune system involved in this process.

What are “Covid fingers”

This side effect affects patients of all ages, but it is most commonly seen in children and adolescents.

Some people experience it painlessly, but Covid toes can also cause severe itching or a blistering boil.

This side effect primarily affects the big toes, but can spread to other toes as well. Brown spots appear on the fingers, sometimes pus appears in the blisters.

Some patients have these symptoms for months, others for a few weeks or a week.

Quite often, such patients may not have the classic symptoms of coronavirus, such as coughing, fever, or loss of smell.

Sophia, 13, from Scotland, says she could barely walk or wear shoes when she developed “covid toes.”

Why is this happening

Photo: Shutterstock

Research based on blood and skin tests suggests that two parts of the immune system influence the appearance of Covid fingers.

Both of them are associated with the mechanisms by which the body fights the coronavirus.

One of them is an antiviral protein called type 1 interferon. The other is antibodies that mistakenly attack the body's cells rather than the aggressive virus.

The whole process goes down to small blood vessels and capillaries, say researchers at the University of Paris.

Scientists examined 50 people with suspected “Covid fingers” in the spring of 2020, as well as another 13 patients who had similar symptoms, but they were definitely not associated with the coronavirus, since they appeared in patients long before the pandemic began.

British podiatrist Dr Ivan Bristov explains that for most patients - as with the usual signs of frostbite that appear in the cold season in people with circulatory problems - swelling and other symptoms will disappear on their own. Although it is possible that some patients will require additional treatment - ointments and other drugs.

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“Understanding the causes of this phenomenon will help to find more effective treatment,” explains the doctor.

And Dr. Veronica Bataille from the British Skin Diseases Association claims that doctors observed “Covid fingers” more often at the beginning of the epidemic, while with the advent of the Delta strain such cases became fewer.

This can also be explained by vaccination and the patients' own immunity from previous infections.

She also adds that skin problems can appear some time after the acute symptoms of the disease disappear, so quite often the connection with the virus is not seen.

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