Guttate Psoriasis Following COVID-19 Infection
Guttate psoriasis is a subgroup of psoriasis that most commonly presents as raindroplike, erythematous, silvery, scaly papules. Guttate psoriatic flares may follow rhinovirus or COVID-19 infection due to dysregulation of the innate immune response. We describe the case of a patient who experienced a moderate psoriatic flare 3 weeks after diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We discuss the dysregulation of proinflammatory cytokines that we believe triggered this flare and the treatment regimen for our patient.
Practice Points
- Guttate psoriasis is the only type of psoriasis that originates from viral infection.
- Dysregulation of proinflammatory cytokines during COVID-19 infection in our patient led to development of guttate psoriasis 3 weeks later.
Conclusion
Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, has been linked predominantly to genetic and environmental factors. Guttate psoriasis as a secondary reaction after streptococcal tonsillar and respiratory infections has been reported.1
Our case is the fourth documented case of guttate psoriasis secondary to COVID-19 infection.2-4 However, it is the second documented case of a patient with a diagnosis of guttate psoriasis secondary to COVID-19 infection who had neither a personal nor family history of psoriasis.
Because SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus, the long-term effects of COVID-19 remain unclear. We report this case and its findings to introduce a novel clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
