Scabies

SKIN CONDITIONS

An intensely itchy dermatosis caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis.
Occurs at all ages but particularly in children.

Highly contagious, and person-to-person spread occurs via direct contact with the skin.
Transfer from clothes and bedding if contaminated by infested people immediately beforehand.

Incubation period is 3 weeks. In cases of re-infestation, symptoms develop in 1-3 days.
Patients with scabies complain of itching, which is most severe at night.
Other skin manifestations include papules, blisters, nodules and eczematous changes.
These lesions commonly involve web spaces, flexor surface of wrists, axillae, waist, feet, ankles, lower portions of buttocks and genital areas.

In females, itching of the nipples associated with generalised pruritic papular eruption is characteristic.
In males, itchy papules on the scrotum and penis are virtually pathognomonic.
In infants and young children, scabies often affects face, head, neck, scalp, palms and soles, and there is often generalised skin involvement.

The pathognomonic sign is burrow, the linear tunnel in which the mites live. These occur as short, wavy, scaly, grey lines on the skin surface and are most easily found on hands and feet, particularly in the finger web spaces, thenar and hypothenar eminences, and on the wrists. They are often missed if the skin has been scratched, has become secondarily infected or if eczema is present.
Secondary infection can occur with Staphylococcus, Streptococcus or both.

All the clothes and bed linen should be washed at temperatures above 50 degree C.
All the members of the affected house has to be treated at the same time.
Homoeopathy helps clear out this acute skin infection quickly and effectively. It helps reducing the symptoms like itching, eruptions, etc. Homoeopathy also helps in reducing further progress of this infection.