How Do I Know If I Have Scabies?
Although we have information about many diseases today, there can be some symptoms that confuse us, and although diseases that cause itching are sometimes confused with each other, they definitely have distinguishing features.
What is Scabies?
It is a clinical condition described as a type of skin disease caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei von hominis mite. It causes itching and rash in the person. The mite, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, burrows into the upper layer of the skin, leaving its feces and eggs, causing severe itching due to the skin's reaction.
What are the Ways Scabies Spreads?
In this disease, known for spreading very quickly from person to person, contact with the eggs left on the skin is sufficient for transmission. While the incidence of the disease increases in the autumn and winter months, it has been observed to spread more rapidly in social living areas with lower health facilities, such as hospitals and schools. It is more commonly encountered in crowded places like nursing homes. Short-term activities such as a normal handshake or hug are not considered transmission. Since scabies mites move slowly, they will not find suitable time to transmit to the other person during short contacts. It is possible for it to spread through long-term contact within families and between spouses.
What are the Symptoms of Scabies?
The most distinctive symptoms that distinguish the disease from other diseases are redness, rash, and severe itching on the body. The itching, which occurs as a reaction to the eggs, significantly reduces the quality of life. It can occur in both sexes, all age groups, and all ethnic groups.
How Do I Know If I Have Scabies?
It usually causes itching on the wrists, elbows, armpits, chest, hips, waist, feet, and between the fingers. In men, it can cause lesions in the genital area, and in women, on the nipples. In children, it can cause itching behind the ears, on the face, palms, and soles of the feet. Itching that worsens particularly at night or after a hot bath, fluid-filled lesions on the skin surface, and accumulations of dirt at the upper part of the tunnels caused by the mite, formations like blackheads, distinguish scabies from other itching and rash diseases. The presence of at least one of these symptoms can be considered an indicator of scabies.
What are the Treatment Methods?
Scabies does not heal on its own. It can be eliminated with the use of prescription medications that kill the mites. These creams and lotions, which can be prescribed, are applied to the entire skin from the neck down during the night when itching is most intense. The body is washed in the morning by showering. In addition to this treatment, which lasts about a week, antihistamine anti-itch pills are also used to reduce symptoms and help alleviate the person's complaints. There is no other treatment method besides this treatment, which can be arranged with a doctor. The person's clothes, bedding, and other personal items should be washed in hot water at least 50°C. Items that cannot be washed should be thoroughly cleaned, and surfaces should be wiped with bleach. This will prevent the transmission or re-infestation of scabies.
