DERMATOLOGY IN A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH WITH INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND OBSTETRIC MEDICINE AGAINST COVID-19

Lim, Rachel K.; Kalagara, Saisanjana; Chen, Kenneth K.; Mylonakis, Eleftherios; Kroumpouzos, George

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) care requires a team approach, and dermatologists may collaborate with other specialties, especially infectious disease (ID) medicine and obstetrics and gynecology (ObGyn) at every stage of the infection process. A broad spectrum of cutaneous manifestations may occur early in COVID-19, making appropriate dermatologic identification critical for early diagnosis. There is prognostic value in appropriately identifying different types of COVID-19-associated skin manifestations which have been linked to disease severity. Such observations emanated from dermatology research, especially large series and international registry of cutaneous manifestations relating to COVID-19, and impact COVID-19 care provided by most healthcare providers. Also, research based on international registry of skin reactions from COVID-19 vaccines is having an impact across disciplines. An increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 is encountered in pregnancy, and dermatologists’ role is to urge ObGyn and other clinicians to monitor and educate pregnant patients about the potential for some eruptions being a manifestation of COVID-19. ID and ObGyn experts indicate that teledermatology enhanced the interaction among healthcare providers and improved COVID-19 care. Over 40% of all dermatology consults at a tertiary care hospital were done via teledermatology. Future collaborative research involving dermatology and specialties such as ID and ObGyn could help delineate guidelines for dermatology consult in COVID-19 patients and determine cases appropriate for teledermatology.