Scabies
By: Erin Mahoney
Dan
- Itching over whole body (mainly at night)
- Small, thin, white lines that are 1/4 inch long
- Lines are on arms, legs, and trunk of body
- Small pimple-like raised area at end of lines
- Skin between fingers is inflamed
Cause
- You can get scabies through skin to skin contact and through sexual contact with an infected person.
- The mites need this skin to skin contact because they can only crawl, not jump or fly.
- Epidemics generally happen in long term institutions like nursing homes or hospitals.
Symptoms
- Intense itching in the sites where the mites have burrowed
- Itching intensifies at night
- A rash that looks like blisters or pimples burrow sites
- Bumps appear clear at the top because they are filled with fluid
- Bumps sometimes appear in a line
- Grey lines with red bumps at the end
- red/scaly patches of skin
- commonly around arms or feet
Treatment
- Medications can be prescribed to help with swelling or itching.
- After treatment, you should still be on the lookout for burrow site since the mites can easily travel to other parts of the body.
- This ointment treatment started being widely used in 1945.
Although these are not cures, there are a few at home treatments to help manage the symptoms:
- tea tree oil
- aloe vera
- cayenne pepper
- clove oil
Prognosis
- impetigo (a bacterial infection)
If it goes untreated for years, it can cause "crusted scabies" (a more severe version of scabies)
As long the patient sees a doctor and gets the topical ointment, scabies is completely treatable.
- The ointment kills the mites
After scabies are treated, the mites have to absorb into the skin which could cause an allergic reaction, leading to even more itching.
- This can be fixed by more ointment and waiting for the mites to absorb completely
Impact
Mainly, scabies causes severe itching. This is be distracting on a daily basis and cause insomnia because the itching intensifies at night.
- That being said, scabies can causes serve stress because this disease is so unsettling
- This can lead to trouble sleeping and concentrating
Scabies is considered an STD, so this can affect you and your significant other until it is treated.
- That being said, all human contact must be limited because scabies is highly contagious.
Who to Contact
This foundation allows people to contact for more information about the disease and how to help stop the spread of it.
This association can be contacted at: info@controlscabies.org.
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/contagious-skin-diseases/scabies
This website, the American Academy of Dermatology Association, helps figure out your symptoms and find a dermatologists near you that can help.
Works Cited
“A.Vogel Talks about the Symptoms of Scabies.” The Symptoms of Scabies, www.avogel.co.uk/health/skin/scabies/symptoms/.
Dr.Scabies_Admin2017. “What Effects Scabies Can Leave On Your Body?” Best Scabies Treatment: Dr. Scabies - Home Treatment for Scabies, How to Treat Scabies, 2 Mar. 2016, www.drscabies.com/what-effects-scabies-can-leave-on-your-body.
“Scabies Bites: Pictures, Symptoms, and Treatments.” Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/scabies-bites#pictures.
Stöppler, Melissa Conrad. “Scabies Rash, Treatment, Symptoms, Bites & How to Get Rid.” MedicineNet, www.medicinenet.com/scabies/article.htm.