A new study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, suggests that COVID toe may be a sideeffect of the body’s immune response to fight the coronavirus.

Researchers assessed 50 individuals with COVID toes and 13 people with similar chilblain lesions thatdeveloped prior to the pandemic. They noted one mechanism in both the conditions involved animmune response with raised levels of certain autoantibodies, which target an individual’s own cellsand tissues besides the virus. Additionally, there was an overlap with type I interferon, a pivotalprotein in the antiviral response. The cells that line the blood vessels supplying the affected areaswere also found to play a key role in the development of COVID toes and chilblains… (The Guardian,October 6, 2021)