Chilblain cases rise in Victoria: Could it be ‘COVID toe’?

Diagnoses of chilblains in Victoria have been up to six times higher in 2020 compared with 2019, highlighting a possible link with COVID-19, GP data suggests.
Since March, doctors across the world have been reporting an increase in chilblains, a phenomenon dubbed ‘COVID toe’ because of an association with spikes in infections, although patients did not always turn out to be positive for SARS-CoV-2.
New data from e-health company Outcome Health, from 1000 GP practices across Victoria and NSW, demonstrates a rise in chilblain diagnoses recorded in GP software.
“We can see that there is a yearly increase across winter for the diagnosis,” said the Outcome Health researchers led by Melbourne GP Associate Professor Chris Pearce.