Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2021 Jun;148(2):94-100.
doi: 10.1016/j.annder.2020.11.005. Epub 2021 Jan 9.

Acute acral eruptions in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: Characteristics of 103 children and their family clusters

T Hubiche  1 , A Phan  2 , S Leducq  3 , J Rapp  1 , L Fertitta  4 , H Aubert  5 , S Barbarot  5 , C Chiaverini  1 , B Giraudeau  6 , A Lasek  7 , S Mallet  8 , A Labarelle  8 , M Piram  9 , C McCuaig  9 , L Martin  10 , L Monitor  11 , I Nicol  8 , M Bissuel  12 , A Bellissen  8 , D Jullien  13 , C Lesort  13 , P Vabres  14 , A Maruani  15 ; Research Group of the Société Française de Dermatologie Pédiatrique (French Society of Pediatric Dermatology)
Affiliations
Observational Study

Acute acral eruptions in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: Characteristics of 103 children and their family clusters

T Hubiche et al. Ann Dermatol Venereol. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Background: A marked increase in frequency of acute acral eruptions (AAE) was observed in children during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring period.

Objectives: In this observational multicenter study, based on children with AAE, we aimed to assess the proportion of household members possibly infected by SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: We collected data from all children observed with AAE, prospectively from April 7, 2020 to June 22, 2020, and retrospectively since February 28, 2020. The primary outcome was the household infection rate, defined as the proportion of family clusters having at least one member with COVID-19 infection other than the child with AAE ("index child"). The definition of a case was based on characteristic clinical signs and a positive PCR or serology.

Results: The study included 103 children in 10 French departments and in Quebec. The median age was 13 years and the interquartile range [8-15], with a female-to-male ratio of 1/1.15. In children with AAE, all PCR tests were negative (n=18), and serology was positive in 2/14 (14.3%) cases. We found no significant anomalies in the lab results. A total of 66 of the 103 families (64.1%) of included children had at least one other infected member apart from the index child. The total number of household members was 292, of whom 119 (40.8%) were considered possibly infected by SARS-CoV-2. No index children or households exhibited severe COVID-19.

Discussion: Among the 103 households included, 64.1% had at least one infected member. Neither children with AAE nor their households showed severe COVID-19.

Keywords: Acral erythema; COVID-19; Chilblains; Children; Familial transmission..

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical distribution of children included.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Number of infected cases by number of members in each family.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Clinical features of acute acral eruptions in children: 3a and b) chilblain-like lesions of the hands and feet; 3c) chilblain-like lesions; 3d) palmar erythema; 3e) acral vesicles; 3f) purpura; 3 g) eccrine hidradenitis-like lesions; 3 h) pulpitis; 3i) acral papular eruption.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Galvan Cases C., Catala A., Carretero Hernandez G., Rodriguez-Jimenez P., Fenandez-Nieto D., Rodriguez-Villa Lario A., et al. Classification of the cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19: a rapid prospective nationwide consensus study in Spain with 375 cases. Br J Dermatol. 2020;183:71–77. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fernandez-Nieto D., Ortega-Quijano D., Segurado-Miravalles G., Pindado-Ortega C., Prieto-Barrios M., Jimenez-Cauhe J.J. Cutaneous manifestations in COVID-19: a first perspective. Safety concerns of clinical images and skin biopsies. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2020;34:e252–e254. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Davies N.G., Klepac P., Liu Y., Prem K., Jit M., CMMID COVID-19 working group, et al. Age-dependent effects in the transmission and control of COVID-19 epidemics. Nat Med. 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0962-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andina D., Noguera-Morel L., Bascuas-Arribas M., Gaitero-Trista J., Alonso-Cadenas J.A., Escalada-Pellitero S., et al. Chilblains in children in the setting of COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatr Dermatol. 2020;37:406–411. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Colonna C., Monzani N.A., Rocchi A., Gianotti R., Boggio F., Gelmetti C. Chilblains-like lesions in children following suspected Covid-19 infection. Pediatr Dermatol. 2020 doi: 10.1111/pde.14210. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types