Chilblain cases rise in Victoria: Could it be ‘COVID toe’?
Data from primary care backs anecdotal reports from GPs that chilblains have been more common this year
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.
