Italian doctors say so-called ‘COVID toe’ may not exist, after reviewing 17 teens with chilblain-like lesions who had no sign of coronavirus infection.

Instead of being a COVID-19 red flag, the lesions may be the result of a penchant for bare feet while at home in lockdown, suggest doctors from the University of Naples Federico II.

For their study, the doctors enrolled 17 healthy-looking adolescents (median age 13) who presented with toe lesions during the first wave of the pandemic in April and June 2020.

All but one had bilateral lesions, with two also presenting with finger lesions, and the duration of lesions varied from 49 to 145 days, the doctors wrote.