Geriatric Skin Care in the Era of COVID-19

Dermatology Quality of Life and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-42 in Scabies Patients

INTRODUCTION

Scabies is a pruritic skin infestation with a globally increasing prevalence. Sleep problems and impaired social and personal interactions, mainly due to itching, have been reported.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to determine the influence of scabies on quality of life and psychosocial health using Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-42 (DASS-42) and analyze whether there is a correlation between the two scales and any sociodemographic and clinical characteristic.

METHODS

Scabies patients (>16 years) who presented to our outpatient clinics were enrolled. Age, sex, occupation, marital status, and education level and clinical features were recorded. DLQI and DASS-42 were used. Possible influence of demographic and clinical characteristics on total scores were analyzed. The Spearman coefficient analysis was performed to determine whether there is a correlation between these scores.

RESULTS

Of 92 patients (mean age:37.76±15.355, Female/Male: 1.09/1), 63% were married and 35.9% were high-school graduates; 27.2% and 23.9% were housewives and officers, respectively. Disease was generalized in 57.6% and duration of disease was mostly <4 weeks. Mean DLQI and DASS-42 scores were 13.16±7.638 and 42.10±30.644, respectively. Symptoms/feelings were affected predominantly. DLQI was affected 'severely' in 41.3% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Impairment of DLQI is a significant predictive parameter for higher DASS levels. Scabies is not only associated with impairment in DLQI but may also lead to psychosocial problems. All scabies patients should be evaluated and consulted-if needed-for possible problems of psychosocial status, including depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as clinical symptoms and secondary complications.

The Pandemic and Your Skin—Direct and Indirect Impact of COVID-19

Apart from well-known respiratory symptoms, less frequent symptoms also appear as a direct result of COVID-19 infection, or as indirect effects of the recommended quarantine and related lifestyle changes. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human skin is predominantly focused on in this article. Cutaneous manifestations, including redness, chilblain-like symptoms (COVID toes), hives or urticaria rash, water blisters, and fishing net-like red-blue patterns on the skin, may appear as accompanying or as systemic COVID-19 symptoms with potential lesions at different skin sites. These symptoms were related to skin phototypes and vitamin D deficiency. Moreover, Black, Asian, and minority ethnic origin patients are found to be more sensitive to COVID-19 infection than Caucasians because of vitamin D deficiency. The region of population with lighter skin phototypes have a significantly higher chance to develop cutaneous manifestations than population with dark skin. In addition, adverse effects, such as skin barrier damage and irritation, may also occur due to extensive personal protective equipment usage (e.g., masks, protective suits, and a few others) and predominately alcohol-based sanitizers. This manuscript covers various aspects of COVID-19 and its clinical skin manifestations.

Effects of social isolation and restrictions on older people during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Older people's health is vulnerable to the effects of long-term changes to everyday life and their recovery from ill health can be delayed by the deconditioning effects of isolation. Social isolation can increase the likelihood of loneliness in older people, which has negative implications for their mental and physical health.

AIM

To explore the effects of social isolation and social distancing on older people in the Republic of Ireland during and following the government-enforced lockdown in the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHOD

This study involved a convenience sample of four participants from the Republic of Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and audio-recorded with each participant over six sessions, two weeks apart, between 6 April 2020 and 7 July 2020. Transcripts were analysed using content analysis of longitudinal data to identify themes.

FINDINGS

Three themes were identified: the effect on health and mental well-being; commitment to restrictions; and concern about the non-adherence of others.

CONCLUSION

Participants committed fully to 'cocooning' and other government restrictions, sometimes to the detriment of their health. Healthcare professionals need to be mindful of potential post-pandemic deconditioning in older people resulting from adherence to government restrictions and lingering anxieties about returning to normality after prolonged isolation.

Dermatological manifestations associated with COVID-19: A comprehensive review of the current knowledge

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant health problem globally. The virus has spread widely and become a global pandemic. The pathophysiology for SARS-CoV-2 has not been explained clearly. It has been associated with several multiorgan symptoms, among which its dermatological manifestations are of great interest. Primarily, there has been no report of skin features among COVID-19 patients. Nevertheless, recently there have been several reports regarding COVID-19 patients who presented with cutaneous manifestations. In the current review, we focus on the various cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 infection.