Dermatological Manifestations during SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) on Phototype VI in Thiès/Senegal (West Africa)

Abstract

Introduction: Dermatological manifestations are extremely polymorphic, increasingly reported on Caucasian skin. Few studies have been conducted on phototype VI which justifies our work whose objectives were to study the epidemiological, clinical, evolutionary aspects of dermatological manifestations on phototype VI. Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective study over a period of 1 year (March 3, 2020-March 3, 2021). Included were all patient records hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), with acute dermatosis. Chronic dermatoses were not included. The data was collected and analyzed with the Epi info 2000 version 7.2.4.0 software. Results: Out of the 469 hospitalized patient records, 26 had dermatosis or 5.54%. The average age was 56.57 years (32-80 years). The sex ratio was 1.88. The following history was found: diabetes 38.46 (n=10), high blood pressure 26.92% (n=7), cancer 7.69% (n=2) and retroviral terrain 7.69% (n=2). The following dermatological manifestations were found: Pruritus: 30.76%, urticarial: 11.53%, smudges-papules: 3.84%, vesicles: 7.69%, vaso-occlusive lesions: 7 69%, other inflammatory lesions: 26.92%. The average length of hospitalization was 13.34 days with extremes of 7 to 22 days. The treatment used was azitromycin and hydroxychloroquine in 100%. Healing was noted in 96.15% with one death or 3.84%. Conclusion: Skin manifestations during COVID are polymorphic and could potentially reflect a full spectrum of viral interactions with the skin. Large-scale studies would help to elucidate the prognostic factors of these skin manifestations.