Common Illnesses & Injuries
Scabies
Overview
Scabies is an infestation of the skin with the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei. Once away from the human body, mites do not survive more than 48-72 hours.
Infestation is common, found worldwide, and affects people of all races and social classes. Scabies spreads rapidly under crowded conditions where there is frequent skin-to-skin contact between people, such as in hospitals, institutions, child-care facilities, and nursing homes.
How it is Caused
It is spread by direct, skin-to-skin contact with a person already infested with scabies. A quick handshake or hug will usually not spread infestation. Infestation is easily spread to sexual partners and household members. Infestation may also occur by sharing clothing, towels, and bedding.
Pets become infested with a different kind of scabies mite. If your pet is infested with scabies, it is called mange. This type of mite can get under your skin and cause itching and skin irritation. However, this mite doesn’t reproduce in people, it simply dies under the skin and causes an itch. You do not need to be treated with special medication to kill this type of mite. Your pet should be treated or the mites can continue to burrow into your skin (and your pets) and cause you to have symptoms.
For a person who has never been infested with scabies, symptoms may take four to six weeks to begin as you become more allergic to the mites. For a person who has had scabies, symptoms appear within several days.
How it is Diagnosed
Your doctor can tell if there are scabies present by looking at the rash and doing skin scrapings. The rash is made up of pimple-like irritations, or little lines (burrows) of rash on the skin. The mites especially like the webbing between the fingers; the skin folds on the wrist, elbow, or knee; the penis, the breast, and shoulder blades. They are very itchy, especially at night. Scratching can cause sores, and the sores can get infected.
A skin scraping may be taken to look for mites, eggs, or mite fecal matter to confirm the diagnosis. If a skin scraping or biopsy is taken and returns negative, it is possible that you may still be infested.
How it is Treated
Several lotions are available to treat scabies. Always follow the directions provided by your physician or the directions on the package insert. Apply lotion to a clean body from the neck down to the toes and leave it on overnight (eight hours). After eight hours, take a bath or shower to wash off the lotion, and put on clean clothes.
All clothes, bedding, and towels used by the infested person up to two days before treatment should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer. A second treatment of the body with the same lotion may be necessary seven to 10 days later.
Anyone who is diagnosed with scabies, as well as his or her sexual partner and persons who have close, prolonged contact to the infested person should also be treated. If your doctor has instructed family members to be treated, everyone should receive treatment at the same time to prevent re-infestation.
Itching may continue for two to three weeks, and does not mean that you are still infested. It just means your still have the irritating stuff in your skin. If you are still getting new spots or burrows after a few weeks, tell your doctor. You may be re-infested.
