Skin diseases cause a lot of inconvenience, accompanied by itching, redness and other unpleasant symptoms. One of these ailments is scabies. This is a fairly common disease that can occur at different ages. It is quite contagious, which explains the prevalence of this disease. The causes of scabies, symptoms and treatment methods will be discussed later.
General description of the disease
A common parasitic disease is scabies. The causes and ways of infection should be considered in more detail to prevent the development of the disease. The disease causes a scabies mite. This is a very contagious disease that can be infected by contact with a sick person. No one is safe from the appearance of scabies mites under the skin. Disease affects both children and adults of any gender and social status.
More often scabies is diagnosed in children and young people. This is due to their mobility and active lifestyle. The causes of scabies can be different. But it is contact with a sick person that occurs during communication that provokes the development of the disease.
The itch mite lives in the subcutaneous layers, parasitizing exclusively in humans. The cause of scabies infection can be not only tactile contact with the infected person, but also with his things.
Ticks have a size of about 100 microns. They have powerful jaws that allow them to make moves in the epidermis. Such tunnels are capable of creating females. Males practically do not move. They exist only for the purpose of fertilization. There are more females in the population. On average, 2 females per male. Fertilizing the female, the male soon dies.
Larvae mature under the skin. After insects hatch from them, the latter come to the surface of the skin for further introduction into the layers of the epidermis. Mating also occurs on the surface. During their life, these arthropods only twice leave the subcutaneous layers.
To have time to gnaw a hole in the skin and go deep into the epidermis, a tick needs only 15-20 minutes. As parasites come to the surface, the disease becomes contagious. During the day, females lay their eggs, and at night they gnaw passages under the skin.
The life span of ticks ranges from 2 weeks to 2 months. When they die, they remain under the skin, decomposing in the moves made. Outside of humans, the parasite dies quite quickly. He also does not tolerate heat. When heated to a level of +55 º, the tick dies after 10 minutes, and at +80 º - instantly.
How does infection happen?
Considering the causes, symptoms and treatment of scabies, it is worth considering the mechanism of human infection. This can happen in public places, for example, by touching a doorknob, a railing on a staircase or a telephone receiver. This creates the focus of the epidemic.
A man who gets sick with scabies infects his environment. It can be relatives, friends and colleagues. Infection also occurs through sexual contact. More often a man becomes infected from an infected woman. The scabies mite can be found on the animal for a short time, so infection through it is not excluded. But this is unlikely.
Some people already familiar with this disease may not know the reasons for the resumption of scabies. This happens between September and December. At this time, parasites are more active. Also, most often members of the same family become infected. This is due to the activity of parasites at night. Through bedding, towels, you can easily get infected with scabies.
Under the stratum corneum, females lay 2-4 eggs daily. Here, animals leave their waste products. Larvae hatch every 2-4 days. They turn into an adult tick in 11-14 days. Moreover, at any stage of development, the parasite can be infectious. But most often a disease with fertilized females is transmitted from person to person.
In the afternoon, insects are inactive. But at night and in the evening, they begin to dig moves, moving 2-3 mm a day. At this time, itching intensifies. At night, females rise to the surface of the skin. At this time, they move over the skin. Per minute, parasites cover a distance of 2.5 cm. It is at this time that the probability of infection is highest. Considering the causes of scabies, it is worth noting that, if untreated, a sick person can infect all his relatives, friends and colleagues at work. For 3 months without the right treatment, 6 generations of ticks, which include 150 million individuals, have time to be born. The cause of the epidemic is the lack of timely treatment.
How does scabies manifest?
Studying the characteristics of scabies, causes, symptoms and treatment of the disease, a number of its specific manifestations should be noted. After infection, the incubation period lasts from 3 days to 2 weeks. But with a thorough examination of the skin, you can notice traces from the entrance of the tick under the skin almost immediately after infection.
As soon as the females begin to lay their eggs in the passages they laid under the skin, the symptoms of the disease begin to grow. Manifestations of scabies are quite characteristic. Itching is increasing, which is especially noticeable at night and in the evening.
Movements that gnaw parasites in the epidermis layer become visible on the patient's skin. They look like lines, sore and red. In the first few days, such clinical manifestations can be observed mainly between the fingers. Here, the skin is thinner, which allows the tick, which is the cause of scabies, to easily gnaw it and get inside the body.
Itching is due to the accumulation of parasitic waste products in the channels. Here they lay their eggs, die. Also, when creating a tunnel, the female secretes a special enzyme contained in saliva. Such chemically active substances help dissolve skin cells. Often this leads to the development of not only inflammation, but also allergies. This process is accompanied by infiltration.
Severe itching accompanies a person now almost constantly. He combs the infected areas. The skin macerates, can be covered with scratches and bloody crusts. Therefore, it is extremely important not to comb it, but to undertake a comprehensive treatment.
The more actively the parasite behaves, which is the cause of scabies on the human body, the stronger will be the clinical manifestations. In addition, it also affects the degree to which a person observes personal hygiene rules, the body's reaction to an allergen in the saliva of the parasite.
Scabies in childhood
The cause of scabies in children is also a tick that lives under the skin and periodically comes to its surface. In babies of different ages, the manifestations of this disease can vary significantly. It should be noted that scabies is diagnosed more often in children than in adults. This is due to the peculiarities of communication between babies and peers. Tactile contacts, the exchange of toys, and other factors affect the rapid spread of the parasite. It is also worth noting that the skin of children is thin and delicate. The tick easily enters the layers of the epidermis, where it can multiply freely.
Parents should be vigilant in detecting signs of scabies at an early stage. The difficulty is that such manifestations are similar to other diseases. For example, you can confuse scabies with allergies, infectious ailments, urticaria, etc. Therefore, it is very difficult to independently determine what caused the rash. It is important that you contact your pediatrician as soon as possible. The main signs of scabies are itching in the evening and at night, when the parasites become active. In babies, up to six months, such a disease is accompanied by crying, anxiety. These manifestations occur at night. Blisters appear on the skin that look like hives. Skin lesions are similar to weeping eczema.
In older children, ticks, which cause scabies, gnaw passages in the skin between the fingers. Then blisters appear throughout the body. They have different sizes. Such rashes do not appear only on the scalp. The reddish rash has watery vesicles in the center. When the lesion becomes most severe, the moves of the scabies mite become clearly visible. In places where the rash appears, these tunnels come to the surface.
It is easier to diagnose scabies in children three years of age and older. Here, the characteristic symptoms are clearly visible. The doctor will not confuse this disease with a different pathology. But at a young age, careful observation is required. Especially carefully you need to monitor the condition of the skin between the fingers. After this, the rash passes to the lower back, buttocks and genitals.
If parents pay sufficient attention to their child's hygiene procedures, skin rashes will be less. In violation of this regime, the child appears large spots, which will be strewn with the whole body of the baby. Secondary infection appears along with the occurrence of itching at night. The child combs the site of infection. This leads to the further development of the disease.
Typical shape and scaby clean
Considering the causes and symptoms of scabies in adults, it is worth noting that there are several main types of this disease. One of them is a typical form. In this case, rashes are determined on the abdomen, especially in the umbilical region. Also characteristic manifestations of the disease appear on the inner surface of the thighs, buttocks, mammary glands, lateral surfaces and in the folds of the fingers and toes. The disease can also be localized in the genital area.
The course of the tick looks like a flat or curved line, which has a whitish or grayish tint. Its length reaches 5-7 mm. The furrow rises slightly on the skin. On the skin of the face, feet, palms, more often single rashes appear.
Considering the causes of scabies in humans, it is worth noting that you can become infected with this disease in almost any crowded place. But with a timely reaction, you can significantly speed up the healing process, reducing the risk of complications.
In typical scabies, tick moves are clearly visible under the skin when viewed with a magnifier. The end of the tunnel ends with a vesicle or papule, which are covered with reddish crusts and have a size of up to 5 mm.
The erased form of the disease is clean scabies. This disease is diagnosed in people with normal immune reactivity. In this case, an allergy to enzymes in tick saliva does not develop. The erased clinical picture is also manifested in people who take a shower several times a day, constantly change underwear and bedding. In this case, single rashes appear on the skin of the chest, around the navel, which practically do not cause discomfort and do not macerate. Only at night does a slight itch appear.
Nodular and cortical scabies
The cause of scabies in humans is always one. But the activity of the tick can manifest itself in different ways. So, scabies can be nodular. It occurs due to a hyperergic delayed reaction. It develops as an immune response to the presence of tick products in the body.
The nodular form of scabies usually occurs due to improper and untimely treatment of this disease. Long-term treatment and repeated invasions lead to the appearance of highly itchy brownish nodules. They arise under the moves made by insects. This form of the disease is difficult to treat. Thick crusts do not allow drugs to penetrate under the skin.
Cortical scabies is also called Norwegian. This is a rare disease that is diagnosed in people with a low immune response. Norwegian scabies is the most contagious form, as a huge amount of ticks accumulate in the crusts.
The causes of scabies in this case are specific. Decreased immunity for various reasons, the prolonged course of serious illnesses, and some types of drug treatment can trigger the development of this ailment. It is also possible if a person has addictions.
In this case, peels of a dirty gray color appear on the skin. They are layered on top of each other. Crusts have different thickness and size. They tightly solder among themselves, as well as the nearest tissues.
When removed, severe pain occurs. Under them erosions are found that have a yellow tint. Such formations are observed at the places of bending of the extremities, in the interdigital spaces, on the abdomen, buttocks, and auricles. Hyperkeratosis appears on the palms and feet, which reduces the patient's mobility. When the nail plates are damaged, they are deformed, change color.
Diagnostics
Considering the causes and treatment of scabies, it is worth noting the importance of such a stage as diagnosis. You need to see a therapist, dermatologist or infectious disease specialist. First, an initial inspection is carried out. The doctor is interested in how the disease manifests itself, what symptoms are present.
In the presence of characteristic linear strokes, as well as itching in the evening and night time and other characteristic symptoms, it is possible to suspect the development of scabies.
Diagnosis can be complicated if the patient thoroughly washed himself before going to the doctor. Also, during a period of low activity of arthropods or when crusts appear, the concentration of parasites decreases. Therefore, microscopic studies may not reveal the cause of scabies. In this case, therapy aimed at getting rid of ticks is still started. But this is possible only if there is a pronounced clinical picture of the disease.
To increase the activity of parasites before taking material for research, the skin is heated. To do this, warm oil is dripped onto it or heated glass is held for some time. Using mascara or aniline dyes, you can tint the moves, making them more noticeable. Sometimes during the diagnosis, if it is impossible to identify the pathogen, prescribe antiscabiotic drugs. This allows you to determine whether ticks are really the cause of the development of the pathology.
Treatment
Having identified the cause of scabies, which is the tick population, you need to start treatment. Spontaneously this illness does not pass. It escalates and subsides, but the process does not stop for many years. Therefore, treatment should be comprehensive, and you need to start it as soon as possible. It is necessary to destroy ticks, their larvae and eggs. For this, local medicines are used. They can be divided into 4 main groups:
- Synthetic products based on balsamic products.
- Sulfur and its derivatives, for example, sulfur ointment 10-33% and Wilkinson ointment.
- Insecticides against parasites, for example, K soap, 510% Dolmatian chamomile ointment, creolin, lysol and other similar fluids.
- Folk remedies, for example, kerosene, fuel oil, ash lye, etc.
Before applying the selected product to the skin, wash thoroughly. This will remove ticks from the skin if they are here now. In the entire skin (not only where there are lesions), the selected product is rubbed. You can not use it to treat the head. Especially vigorously rubbed into the localization of parasites.
Popular drugs for children
To get rid of the main cause of scabies in children, similar drugs are used. They are used in the same way as in adults. Procedures are carried out in the evening. The baby needs to be bought by thoroughly washing the entire body. Next, a medicine is used.
Doctors most often prescribe the following drugs:
- Emulsion or ointment "Benzyl benzoate". The product is applied to the skin on the first and fourth day, excluding only the face and head. It is advisable to withstand 12 hours without water procedures. It is an inexpensive but effective drug. It can be used for children from 2 years. In the process of treatment, it is important to change and boil bed and underwear daily.
- Permethrin. This drug is suitable for children from 1 year. It is available in various dosage forms. The components of the medication for a child are non-toxic.
- Sulfur ointment is more suitable for teenagers. For babies under the age of 3 years, it is contraindicated.
It is also extremely important to adhere to hygiene rules. After 7 days, the child will be able to go out. Bed rest is not shown.
Prevention
If there is a case of scabies in the team, everyone who has contacted a sick person undergoes one-time preventive procedures. It is necessary to once treat the skin with any contraceptive. Prevention is important for the person who already had this disease, but was cured. .
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