Scabies - VnExpress Health

Scabies is a contagious skin disease caused by mites that penetrate the skin and damage the quality of life.

The article was professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Thai Thanh Yen, Department of Dermatology - Dermatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City.

Define

Scabies is a fairly common and familiar skin disease that has been around since ancient Rome and has yet to be completely cured. The disease is not dangerous to health but greatly affects the quality of life of the patient as well as those around them.

Reason

- Scabies or scabies (scabies, gale), scientific name Sarcoptes scabiei, is an arthropod that is very small and cannot be seen with the naked eye, specializing in digging "burrows" to parasitize on the skin of humans and animals, causing scabies.

- There are many different species of female scabies, some cause disease in humans, some cause disease in animals such as horses, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice... However, female scabies that cause scabies in animals can transmit the disease to humans.

- In the 18th century, Italian biologist Diacinto Cestoni discovered that scabies was caused by the genus hominis.

Symptom

Scabies has clinical characteristics:

- Itching, usually at night.

- Blisters appear on young skin, growing individually, not in clusters.

Transmission route

- The disease often appears in crowded, cramped, unsanitary residential areas with lack of clean water.

- The disease is transmitted through direct contact or through clothing and blankets.

Diagnose

- Based on clinical features.

- Based on lesions in specific locations such as the palm, between fingers, wrist crease, back of hand, front of armpit, around the navel, buttocks...

- Based on epidemiology such as families or groups with many people having scabies, blood tests found high IgE.

- Differential diagnosis of the disease with other skin diseases such as dyshidrosis, atopic dermatitis, skin fungus...

Complications

If not detected and treated promptly, the disease causes complications such as infection, eczema, glomerulonephritis...

Treatment

- There are many measures to treat the disease and effectively destroy scabies.

* The patient can recover completely.

* Sometimes a second course of treatment is needed 2-7 days after the first course to ensure complete cure.

- Group treatment if the patient lives in a crowded environment.

- Use topical, spray, or oral medications as directed by your doctor.

* Topical medication is used repeatedly. Clean the skin thoroughly before applying the medication directly to the area to be treated.

* The medicine must be used continuously for two weeks. When the itching has gone, the patient continues to apply the medicine to prevent the remaining scabies eggs and increase the risk of reinfection.

- Patients should limit rubbing, scratching, and scrubbing the scabies-affected skin to prevent the risk of skin infection.

Prevent

- Clean living space, personal items, clothes, blankets... to completely eliminate parasites.

- Limit sharing personal items with others.

- Isolate when sick to avoid spreading to others.

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