Publication:

Unveiling the dermatological manifestations of nCOVID-19

Coronaviruses are RNA viruses that have become a major public health concern since the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in 2002. The continuous evolution of coronaviruses was further highlighted with the emergence of the middle east respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV) outbreak in 2012. The spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 plays a pivotal role in the entry of virus into the cell and it further interacts with ACE-II receptors which are widely distributed on the human cell surface especially on alveolar type II cells (AT-2) and endothelium. Currently, the world is concerned about the 2019 novel CoV (SARS-CoV-2) that was initially identified in the city of Wuhan, China in December 2019. Patients presented with severe viral pneumonia and respiratory illness. Despite the virus not being dermatotropic, several skin conditions have emerged mainly as a result of prolonged contact with personal protective equipment and excessive personal hygiene. In this review, we discuss structure, genome organisation, entry of CoVs into target cells, probable cutaneous manifestation that dermatologists may be aware of skin complications and the preventive measures, outcome of the disease and the management.