Research by the International League of Dermatological Societies and the American Academy of Dermatology found some patients had chilblain-like inflammation on their feet, sometimes lasting for months at a time.
Dr Esther Freeman, principal investigator of the International Covid-19 Dermatology Registry, the collaboration between the two research bodies, told the PA news agency: “It seems there is a certain sub-group of patients that, when they get Covid, they develop inflammation in their toes, which turns them red and swollen, and then they eventually turn purple.
Dr Freeman said the identification of people with Covid toes symptoms – including some in the UK – helps scientists understand more about coronavirus-related symptoms elsewhere in the body.
The figures are submitted by doctors treating patients with skin issues in dozens of countries around the world, meaning there are potentially many people with Covid toes who have not sought medical help