Symptoms and treatment of scabies in children

A common skin ailment that can affect kids of all ages is scabies. It is brought on by microscopic mites that burrow into the skin, causing excruciating itching. Scabies is treatable with the right care and attention, despite the fact that it can be frightening for parents.

Early symptom recognition is essential to stopping the spread of scabies. Severe itching, especially at night, and a rash that may resemble little bumps or blisters are the most typical symptoms. Children frequently scratch the afflicted areas, which increases the risk of infection or irritation.

Thankfully, there are efficient scabies treatments available. Usually, these involve medicated lotions or creams that eradicate the mites. To stop reinfestation, it’s also critical to give bedding, clothes, and other items a thorough cleaning. Children can recuperate quickly and resume their regular activities with prompt medical attention.

Symptoms	Treatment
Itchy skin, especially at night	Apply prescribed creams or lotions
Small red bumps or blisters	Wash clothes and bedding in hot water
Skin rashes, often in folds of the body	Keep fingernails short to prevent scratching
Thin, irregular burrow marks	Treat all family members to prevent spread

About the disease

Scabies has been known to mankind since the Old Testament, where it was first described. For quite a long time, people considered the unbearable itching that "attacked" at night to be a punishment from heaven. But already in the Middle Ages, doctors began to guess that the cause of terrible itching was a parasite. The scabies mite was discovered only when the microscope was discovered. In the 17th century, doctors managed not only to examine in detail the small "culprit" of the unpleasant disease, but also to describe scabies, as well as to propose the first official measures to combat it. Scabies mite (this is the name of the mite that causes the disease), makes the disease extremely contagious, since it only takes 15-20 minutes for it to penetrate human skin and begin to parasitize under it. Outbreaks of scabies are most often recorded in Russia in the fall and winter. And to a greater extent, it is not babies who suffer from this skin disease, as it may seem, but teenagers. Scabies is rarely found in newborns, only if the parents or those who care for the baby are sick.

Medical statistics indicate that 5-6% of people worldwide have experienced scabies at least once in their lifetime. Teens and high school pupils account for about 25% of all cases. Scabies is the disease’s official name. The more popular term "scabies" accurately describes the primary and most excruciating symptom of the illness, which is extremely itchy skin beneath the itch.

In terms of the quantity of diseases, teenagers rank highest. Students in junior and middle schools come in second. Children in preschool are only in their third year of education.

About the pathogen

The scabies mite is small in size. The largest females reach half a millimeter in length, and males are half that size. The sexual activity of scabies mites increases when it gets cool around, which is why scabies outbreaks occur in winter and autumn. Scabies mites mate on the surface of human skin, the males then die as unnecessary, and the females begin to make “tunnels” in the epidermis to lay eggs. These passages are called scabies passages. Females prefer to lay eggs at night, and the process of making passages is perceived by humans as an unbearable itch. It usually takes up to 4 days for the eggs to hatch. Then new individuals begin to make new passages inside the skin themselves, and after two weeks, mature females and males emerge onto the surface of the skin to repeat everything from the beginning.

During the day, mites are not very active, which is why a person practically does not feel their presence during daylight hours. At night, when work in full swing is in full swing work on the development of new territories (they move on the surface of the skin at a speed of 2.5-3 centimeters per minute), as well as “dig” the moves inside the skin, itching is at the peak of activity. At this time, their ability to infect. At first glance, it is not entirely clear what scabies ticks can eat. However, it is easy to find the answer to this question, knowing that the items are able to dissolve the keratin layer of the skin with their own saliva. The parasites obtained during the dissolution of the substance and feed.

The period of incubation Before pathological processes begin, a healthy child’s skin is first bitten by a scabies tick. It doesn’t go over thirty minutes. Additionally, it may take up to four weeks before the first symptoms manifest because the body needs that time to react allergically to substances that are essential to the parasites’ vital activities.

It takes only 24 hours from the time of infection to the onset of symptoms in cases of recurrent infection, when the body is already "signaling" with itching.

Transmission routes

You can only get scabies from an infected person, and if there is close and long enough skin-to-skin contact. Children can get infected from their parents if they sleep with them in the same bed, if they are picked up at night. A danger, from the point of view of infection, can also be posed by children"s groups where there is skin contact, for example, contact sports sections (wrestling, karate, sambo, hand-to-hand combat, gymnastics, pair and team dancing). For a long time it was believed that children can get infected through shared toys, through bed linen and household items. However, recent studies show that such a probability is negligible. Close skin contact is absolutely necessary. An interesting experiment in favor of this statement was conducted in the UK, where about 300 volunteers took turns lying down in a bed in which people with scabies had lain before them. Only four people were able to become infected through bed linen.

• poor sanitary conditions of the home;
• social disadvantage;
• violation of hygiene standards;
• cold season (the less sweat on the skin, which has a certain antimicrobial activity and activity against scabies, the higher the risk of infection).

Symptoms

When the body reacts immunologically to materials secreted by scabies mites during their life, the initial symptoms of scabies manifest. The process starts as an allergic reaction; the child’s immune system starts to "rebel" because it thinks the proteins secreted by the parasites are alien. The child repeatedly scratches at the itchy skin, which frequently results in a staphylococcus and streptococcal infection. Lesions with inflammation show up. Skin cells attempt to use them as a defense mechanism by enveloping the tick in an inflammatory infiltrate that is rich in leukocytes, lymphocytes, and eosinophils, among other protective cells.

Norwegian scabies

Sometimes a person (infants, children with limb paresis who are disabled, and genetically predisposed children) does not feel itching, so they do not actively scratch the skin, or they are unable to do so because of limited motor functions. In this situation, the condition known as Norwegian scabies typically arises, in which there are millions of mites. It can cause thick nodules to start forming on the skin.

A baby with such an infection may not exhibit any symptoms for a long time. The appearance of crusts where there are skin lesions and the growth of nail plates are indicative of the disease.

The disease typically affects the hands, scalp, face, and head.

Typical scabies

Itching is typically present during the early stages of clinical manifestations and gets worse in the evening and at night. A tiny rash breaks out on the skin. Scabies can be identified by closely examining the skin around the rash during the day. It is always covered in scabies passages, which are excavated by female scabies mites.

A small elevation in the skin layer with an oblong shape and a whitish or grayish color is what scabies passage looks like. The passage’s dimensions may vary; if the infection happened recently, for example, the passages are rarely longer than 1.5 millimeters. The passages get to a centimeter if the illness started a long time ago.

The mite that "dug" the passage is also visible at the front end. It is identified as a black speck. The skin between the fingers on the hands, the inside of the wrists, the thighs, the elbows, and, in males, the penis, are the areas where the passages are most noticeable. The severity of the rash itself varies. It is impossible to estimate the number of parasites from this sign. Instead, this shows how strongly the child’s allergy to the mites’ waste products is manifesting.

In the early stages of the illness, the rash typically develops on the hands, between the fingers, inside the wrists (on the bend), and in boys, almost simultaneously on the penis and scrotum. The rash then swiftly spreads to the buttocks, elbows, feet, armpits, abdomen, and thighs. Lesions on the face and scalp are possible in children younger than three years old. The face and head of older children never have any scabies passages on them.

Pyoderma and dermatosis are complications that nearly half of children with scabies face.

About 25% of those impacted initially develop furuncles, microbial eczema, or pustular skin diseases. Given that it can result in sepsis in infants, this infection poses a particular risk to them.

Nodular scabies

Children suffer from the classic, typical scabies mentioned above in 93% of cases. However, nodular scabies, an uncommon type of infection, strikes 7% of small patients. Round, bluish or brownish-colored nodules are indicative of it. For mites, which normally reside in scabies passageways, these nodules serve as a "shelter." Nodules are most frequently observed on the skin of the scrotum, on the elbows, and on the buttocks, close to the anus. The nodules are extremely itchy.

Scabies "incognito"

Children who frequently come into contact with water—washing themselves multiple times a day, going swimming—may develop this type of illness. The majority of scabies will wash off if water gets on the skin, but not all of them. As a result, the illness’s symptoms will only very mildly manifest.

Pseudosarcoptic mange

If scabies mites—such as certain parasite species that are exclusive to the skin of dogs or cats—that are not normally found on human skin get onto the child’s skin, a disease of that nature may ensue. The mites can produce a rash, but they cannot reproduce on human skin and soon perish. This disease is not communicable to other people.

Treatment

Local acaricidal medications are used to treat pediatric scabies cases. If the treatment plan is followed and the medication is taken as prescribed, relapses are typically rare. Relapses are common in cases of undertreated scabies.

The following are some crucial guidelines for effective scabies treatment:

• The drugs should be prescribed by a doctor.
• All family members should use the ointment at the same time, regardless of whether other household members have symptoms of the disease or not.
• The product is applied to all skin areas, with the exception of the face and hair growth area. For children under 3 years old – these areas are also smeared.
• All family members have their nails cut short to avoid accumulation of scabies under the nails. Ointment is also applied to the nails.
• It is advisable to apply the product in the evening.
• You should not bathe the child during the course. You can wash your face, but only if the ointment has been on the face (if the child is under 3 years old) for at least 12 hours.
• Bedding should be changed only after the end of the course of treatment.

The following are the best treatments for scabies:

• "Permethrin" – 5% ointment;
• "Benziobenzoate" – 20% ointment;
• "Spregal";
• "Medifox" – 20% ointment;
• "Sulfur ointment" – 5% or 10%.
• "Ivermectin".

Successful treatment is also possible for nodular scabies if you adhere to all of your doctor’s instructions. The only uncertain and difficult-to-treat prognosis for Norwegian scabies is that infection of the afflicted skin frequently results in pyoderma and sepsis. The Norwegian variant of the illness can cause the body to become severely intoxicated, which has an immediate impact on the condition of the cardiovascular system.

Although scabies in children can be unsettling, it can be effectively treated with the correct care and attention. Early recognition of symptoms, such as itching and visible rash, is crucial, as is prompt medical advice-seeking.

Topical creams or lotions that eradicate the mites causing the illness are typically used as treatment. In order to prevent reinfection, it’s critical to closely adhere to the doctor’s instructions and treat every member of the household.

Scabies can be cleared up with prompt medical attention and good hygiene habits, allowing your child to swiftly resume their regular, healthy schedule.

Little mites that burrow into the skin of children can cause scabies, a highly contagious skin condition that causes intense itching and small red bumps. It frequently spreads by close contact, particularly in crowded settings like schools. Visible rashes or sores, as well as continuous itching, especially at night, are early symptoms. In order to eradicate the mites, treatment entails applying medicated creams or lotions as directed by a doctor. Treating the entire household is essential to preventing reinfestation. To guarantee a full recovery and stop the infection from spreading, it’s also critical to carefully clean bedding and clothes.

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