Wpływ pandemii COVID-19 na praktykę dermatologiczną. Komentarz z Jordanii

COVID-19 is a disease first reported in Wuhan, China as pneumonia of unknown cause, then later it was revealed that this disease is caused by a new type of coronavirus, an enveloped polymorphic RNA virus [1]. This outbreak was declared on February 11, 2020 as an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]. Dermatology practices have been affected by this pandemic, including the effects of personal protective equipment, concerns of safe practice during this pandemic, and interactions of dermatological treatment with COVID-19. Chen et al. reported that the dermatology outpatient department at West China Hospital of Sichuan University was shut temporarily in January 2020, as all elective operations were postponed allowing only emergency ones, and scheduled to run at January, 28, 2020, and during this period, they provided free consultations online and via telephone, and even after the re-opening of the outpatient department [2]. In the United States, a study revealed that during a period of one month between February and March of 2020, dermatology practice days were reduced from 4.2 to 3.1, and the average number of patients from 149.4 to 63.3. Additionally, postponing non-important visits increased from 35.5% to 79.4% [3].
COVID-19 can present with various cutaneous symptoms. These include covid fingers, urticarial reactions, chickenpox-like vesicles, erythematous rash, disseminated intravascular coagulation and aggravation of pre-existing conditions [4].
Skin damage induced by the PPE is common among medical staff due to prolonged periods of equipment wearing and frequent hand sanitization. Lan et al. stated that the prevalence of skin damage among frontline healthcare workers due to PPE was 97%, affecting the nasal bridge, hands, cheeks, and forehead. Wearing face shields was not associated with increased incidence of skin damage [5]. Furthermore, Yan et al. reported that two-thirds of the Chinese frontline healthcare workers had hyperhidrosis due to wearing tight masks and goggles, in addition to facial itching, acne aggravation, delayed pressure urticaria and facial inflammatory papules. Besides, maceration, erosions, and increased risk of hand eczema were noted in medical personnel due to prolonged use of gloves, frequent hand hygiene, alkaline soap usage, and use of hot water, so hands should be clean and dry before wearing [5, 6]. Hand dermatitis can be controlled by using moisturizer and barrier...


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