A systematic review on mucocutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 in children

About 20% of patients with coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) present with mucocutaneous eruptions. Earlyskin or dermatological manifestations can help pediatriciansprevent the spread of the disease by suspecting COVID-19 inasymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients.

PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, and theNottingham University website were searched on Sep. 1st, 2020,to retrieve studies regarding COVID-19-related mucocutaneousmanifestations in patients under the age of 18.

Data were extracted from 76 articles including 38,387 cases.Chilblain/pernio-like lesions were the most common dermatologicalmanifestation, followed by multisystem inflammatory syndrome inchildren (MIS-C)/Kawasaki-like syndrome. Most dermatologicalsigns were self-limited, presenting before, simultaneously with,or after other COVID-19 manifestations. In 40% of the affectedchildren, these signs were the sole presentation of COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, each newmucocutaneous event in children, especially acral lesions withvascular color, should be considered a possible indicator ofCOVID-19.