Pityriasis rosea infection in a COVID-19 patient successfully treated with systemic steroid and antihistamine via telemedicine: Literature update of a possible prodromal symptom of an underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection

The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on Inflammatory Skin Disorders and Other Cutaneous Diseases: A Review of the Published Literature

Background: Four vaccines have been authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA): viral vector-based vaccines (AstraZeneca; AZD1222 and Johnson & Johnson; Ad26.COV2. and 2 mRNA-based vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech; BNT162b2 and Moderna; mRNA-1273). Adverse events (AEs) related to vaccination have been described in the literature. The main aim of the dermatological practice was to avoid the diffusion of COVID-19, allowing the continuity of care for patients. Objective: The aim of this review article is to investigate current literature regarding cutaneous reactions following COVID-19 vaccination, mainly inflammatory dermatological diseases. Materials and methods: Investigated manuscripts included metanalyses, reviews, letters to the editor, real-life studies, case series, and reports. Results: We selected a total of 234 articles involving more than 550 patients. We have divided the results section into various sub-sections to ensure greater understanding for readers. Conclusions: Clinicians should keep in mind the possibility of new onsets or the worsening of several dermatoses following vaccination in order to promptly recognize and treat these AEs. Certainly, vaccination should not be discouraged.

A Review of Pityriasis Rosea in Relation to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute exanthematous disease, commonly preceded by a primary solitary herald patch followed by the onset of smaller scaly papulosquamous lesions within days to weeks. The exact cause of PR remains unclear; however, rash eruptions are thought to be associated with systemic reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 and 7 (HHV-6/7). Several cutaneous manifestations, including PR, have been reported secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. The purpose of this review is to synthesize available data regarding PR in close association with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection and/or vaccination. A total of 154 patients were included in this study with 62 females and 50 males. PR was reported to occur more commonly in association with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccination (102, 66.2%) than during infection (22, 42.3%) or post-infection (30, 57.7%). Interestingly, only 7.1% of patients were tested for concomitant HHV-6/7 past or current infection, with 4.2% testing positive or reporting a history of roseola infantum. While rare, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of patients developing PR associated with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection and/or vaccination, among other cutaneous reactions. Future studies exploring the link between PR and SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 infection and/or vaccination would be beneficial, including direct examination of tissue and serological studies for evidence of COVID-19-induced HHV-6/7 reactivation.

Cutaneous Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines in a Monocentric Study: A Case Series

After coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a global pandemic, vaccines were rapidly developed to control the spread of the virus. Although they were effective in most of the cases at protecting people from becoming seriously ill and being hospitalized, they showed side effects, too. Among other adverse vaccine reactions, cutaneous eruptions following SARS-CoV-2 have been described in the literature, but they are not well-characterized yet. We described the morphology and timing of the spectrum of cutaneous reactions following most of the COVID-19 vaccines available in Italy, which were observed in outpatients referred to our non-invasive diagnostic clinic. Most of these reactions appeared after the second or third COVID-19 vaccine dose (most of them after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines). Our data support that cutaneous reactions to COVID-19 vaccination are generally self-limited; in addition, history of allergic reaction to a specific food, medicine or vaccine should not discourage vaccination in the general population, although patients with immune dysregulation should be accurately selected and monitored. Further research is necessary to better assess the true prevalence and preventive measures of skin reactions to COVID-19 vaccination.

Coronavirus disease 2019 and pityriasis rosea: A review of the immunological connection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by the activation of a cytokine storm derived from an excess release of cytokine (interleukin [IL]-6, interferon [IFN] I, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand [CXCL]10, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]1) due to an uncontrolled immune activation. There has been a fivefold increase in the number of cases of pityriasis rosea during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Using the keywords "pityriasis" and "COVID-19", we carried out a PubMed search, including all articles in the English language published until November 2021. We aimed to investigate the possible connection between SARS-CoV-2 and pityriasis rosea (PR). Pityriasis could be considered an immunological disease due to the involvement of cytokines and chemokines. Our analysis yielded 65 articles of which 53 were not considered; the others (n = 12) concerning the association between PR and COVID-19 were included in our study. We suggest two mechanisms underlying the involvement of the skin in viral infections: (i) viruses directly affecting the skin and/or inducing host immune response thus causing cutaneous manifestations; and (ii) viruses as a possible inducer of the reactivation of another virus. The first mechanism is probably related to a release of pro-inflammatory cytokine and infection-related biomarkers; in the second, several pathways could be involved in the reactivation of other latent viruses (human herpesviruses 6 and 7), such as a cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway, and the IL-17 signaling pathway. We thus believe that a cytokine storm could be directly or indirectly responsible for a cutaneous manifestation. More investigations are needed to find specific pathways involved and thus confirm our speculations.