Dermatology and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak
Dear EDF members,
The coronavirus (COVID-19) infection is rapidly spreading all over the world and is a big concern for the public health. Dermatologists are facing the dilemma of how to approach patients under treatment with biologics and/or immunosuppressants, or in need for these therapies. Although clinicians can still make individually based decisions, or be guided by their own health service, the EDF, in line with the International League of Dermatologic Societies (ILDS), supports the initiatives of the following registries we should all be aware of, and invites you to contribute by upload clinical cases.
Dermatologic Manifestations of COVID-19, and existing dermatologic conditions in the setting of COVID-19
The International Dermatology COVID-19 Registry, in collaboration with the American Academy of Dermatology and the ILDS, captures healthcare provider entered cases. It focuses on a) dermatologic manifestations of COVID-19 and b) a wide range of existing dermatologic conditions in patients that then develop COVID-19. Cases can either be clinically suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID. The registry does not contain any protected health information (PHI) and has been reviewed as exempt by Massachusetts General Hospital IRB. Entries from any country and from any specialty are encouraged.
Psoriasis (PsoPROTECT registry)
PsoPROTECT is a new global registry established to assess outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with psoriasis. It operates in collaboration with other dermatology COVID registries and international organisations including the International Psoriasis Council, International Federation of Psoriasis Associations, Global Psoriasis Atlas, ILDS, ESDR, EADV, SPIN and EDF. Entering cases of psoriasis with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 via the simple online case report forms is both quick and easy and can be done during a virtual consultation. All data are de-identified. The information provided will rapidly improve our understanding of how factors such as systemic immunomodulatory therapies, comorbidities and disease activity affect outcomes of COVID-19 in psoriasis. Regular open-access summaries of reported cases will be provided online.
Atopic Dermatitis (SECURE-AD registry)
The SECURE-AD registry, in collaboration with the International Society for Atopic Dermatitis, the International Eczema Council, the European Taskforce for Atopic Dermatitis, SPIN, EDEN, the EADV and the ILDS, collects de-identified data of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients with a confirmed Covid-19 infection episode. The registry collects data of all AD patients who were Covid-19 infected, including those on systemic immuno-modulatory medication. The SECURE-AD data entry platform is closely aligned to PsoProtect and other inflammatory disease registries to allow comparative analyses. Like the other registries, SECURE-AD only collects retrospectively entered anonymized patient data and has therefore been exempt from Research Ethics Committee review.
