key: cord-0908872-aqr890k4
authors: Mansouri, Parvin; Farshi, Susan; Nickhah, Nahid; Nobari, Niloufar Najar; Chalangari, Reza; Nilforoushzadeh, Mohammad Ali
title: COVID-19 and Dermatology in Iran
date: 2021-05-18
journal: Clin Dermatol
DOI: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2021.05.022
sha: 62da32cda82c9b1e025abaf24f093728c671f799
doc_id: 908872
cord_uid: aqr890k4

COVID-19 infection may affect the individuals with many underlying conditions including skin diseases. This cross-sectional study was conducted to provide an overview regarding the prevalence of COVID-19 disease in the patients with several skin diseases. Overall, 703 patients with several skin diseases participated in the study and completed our online-designed questionnaire. Among the total participants, only 32(4.6%) subjects reported the COVID-19 infection. The prevalence rate was equal to 0.04%. In the patients with psoriasis, 14 out of 322 people (4.3%) developed the COVID-19. Three out of 159 patients (1.9%) with alopecia areata had been affected with the COVID-19 and 4 (5.2%) patients with vitiligo had caught the disease. Only one subject (2%) with the lichen planus, and 6 (6.8%) patients with other skin diseases had developed the COVID-19 but in the patients with GVHD (Graft Versus Host Disease), 4 (80%) out of 5 patients had caught the COVID-19 disease. The frequency of COVID-19 infection was low in the studied population however; more studies with larger sample size are needed to determine the exact prevalence of the infection in the patients with skin diseases undergoing the treatment with several systemic medications.

In some COVID-19 patients, preexisting skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea have been exacerbated. 1 It is not known whether the patients receiving the immunotherapy for skin diseases are more susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2. 2, 3 Cross-Sectional Study This cross-sectional study was performed on the participants who completed our questionnaire and had dermatologic diseases.

Some patients were under treatment with various immunosuppressive/immunomodulatory and biologic agents. The data were collected by a webbased designed questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using the IBM Statistics SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software (version 24, Chicago, IL), and R statist ics. Pvalue of ≤ .05 was considered as statistically significant. Descriptive statistics were reported using the frequencies and percentages. The quantitative data were summarized as mean ± SD. 

In this cross-sectional study, the frequency of COVID-19 positive cases in various dermatologic diseases was reported. The overall prevalence of COVID-19 in the studied population was low, about 0.04%; however, applying PCR test during course of study was limited just to very few cases, it is assumed that the actual prevalence is to be higher than the reported one.

Many patients with several skin conditions are being treated with various immunosuppressive drugs, so it is important to investigate the correlation between taking these drugs and Methotrexate 

Challenges of COVID-19 pandemic for dermatology

Should biologics for psoriasis be interrupted in the era of COVID-19?

COVID-19 and psoriasis: Is it time to limit treatment with immunosuppressants? A call for action

COVID-19 and immunomodulator/immunosuppressant use in dermatology

Risk of COVID-19 in Dermatologic Patients on Long-term Immunomodulatory Therapy

Risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 infection in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis receiving a biologic treatment and renal transplant recipients in maintenance immunosuppressive treatment

Clinical course of COVID-19 in 41 patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: Experience from humanitas center

Patient's perspective: psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in 146 psoriatic patients treated with biological drugs and small molecules in real clinical practice

Prior treatment with immunosuppressants among COVID-19 inpatients at one hospital in Spain

Infection risk of dermatologic therapeutics during the COVID-19 pandemic: an evidence-based recalibration