Scabies, which increases in the autumn and winter months, is extremely contagious. Scabies itch increases its intensity especially in the evening hours. In places with common living space, such as hospitals, military barracks, nursing homes; It spreads rapidly among people who share the same bed and clothes.
What is Scabies?
Scabies is one of the most common skin diseases all over the world. The disease, caused by a type of mite whose full name is "sarcoptes scabiei von hominis", is characterized by itching and rash. Discomfort caused by the mite settling under the skin; It causes symptoms in areas such as hands, between fingers, armpits.
When the cases of scabies in humans are not treated, the symptoms caused by the disease increase, and skin sores occur due to itching over time. "How's the scabies?" Before answering the question "What is scabies?" It is necessary to answer the question. The condition, medically defined as scabies, is highly contagious. This type of mite, which is almost impossible to see with the naked eye, first passes under the skin when it comes into contact with the skin of the person. It then proceeds by opening tunnels in the upper layers of the skin. The mite, which has a lifespan of about 1-2 months, lays eggs and defecates frequently during this time.
Laid eggs cause the emergence of new mites after a while. Mites, which are mostly seen in areas such as hands, feet, between the fingers, wrists, inside the elbows, armpits, and around the navel, cause the skin to react and itching that increases especially at night.
Scabies, which causes a significant decrease in the quality of life of the person, does not heal on its own. In other words, it is recommended that people who show signs of scabies go to a doctor and get diagnosis and treatment. Before the subject of scabies symptoms, "Why does scabies?" and "How is scabies transmitted?" It is necessary to answer the questions.
What Causes Scabies?
The disease increases especially in autumn and winter. In addition to skin contact of the mite causing scabies, which is the causative agent of the disease, common towels, sheets, Shared use of products such as clothes and bedding is transmitted from person to person. The main reason for this is that the mite that causes scabies can live outside the body for 24 to 48 hours. The transmission of scabies has nothing to do with personal hygiene. So much so that the mite can only be transmitted during everyday actions such as shaking hands and hugging. For this reason, the disease spreads rapidly among people sharing the same house, especially family members, in areas such as military barracks, hospitals and nursing homes. The mite, which progresses by making tunnels on the lower surface of the skin layer, lays eggs and defecates during this time. These factors cause skin reaction and itching of the person. It takes 2 to 6 weeks after contact with the mite for the disease to cause symptoms. However, even if the person has not yet developed symptoms, the person can transmit the disease to other individuals. This is another factor that leads to the rapid spread of the disease.
Although there is a common belief that scabies is transmitted from animal to human, the mite species that causes scabies in animals cannot penetrate under the human skin. Therefore, this mite species cannot live in the human body for a long time. It takes about 1 to 3 hours for the mite to pass from animal to human and cause symptoms. However, the symptoms disappear in a short time without the need for treatment. Scabies caused by the mite "sarcoptes scabiei von hominis", which is transmitted from person to person, does not heal on its own and requires scabies treatment.
What are the Symptoms of Scabies?
The characteristic symptoms of scabies are itching and is the formation of redness on the skin surface.
- The itching is in the areas of hands, feet, wrists, elbows, belly, waist, hips, armpits, especially between the fingers. Severe itching may occur in the nipples in women and in the genital area in men. In children, it can cause itching in areas such as the face, the back of the ear, the lower part of the foot and the palms.
- The tunnels opened by the mite causing scabies may be visible to the naked eye from the skin surface.
- Due to the itching sensation that gets worse at night, the skin becomes irritated and this causes different skin infections. may lead to
- On the surface of the skin, its length is 1 to 10 mm.
- The presence of fluid-filled lesions on the skin,
- The appearance of black dot-like appearances at the ends of the tunnels,
- The increase in the severity of itching during a hot shower,
- Redness,
- Rash.
Is It Possible to Protect From Scabies?
Scabies is a very contagious disease. Although it is a disease, there are some precautions that can be taken to prevent scabies.
One of these is the prevention of direct contact with the person known to have scabies. In order to protect the people living in the same house, products such as towels, sheets and clothes should be washed at temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius.
Since scabies can be transmitted to another person before it causes symptoms, it may not be possible to prevent scabies in some cases.
How to Diagnose Scabies?
Scabies If a person applies to a doctor with symptoms, the doctor first takes the person's medical history and performs a physical examination. Although the symptoms caused by the mite are sufficient to make the diagnosis, in some cases, the physician may request additional laboratory tests.
The diagnosis of the disease is made in the light of the findings. The physician may also want to control family members or people with whom common living spaces are shared for precautionary purposes. Thanks to this precautionary application, it can be ensured that the scabies disease is prevented from spreading further. After the person is diagnosed with scabies, the treatment is arranged.
How to Treat Scabies?
For the treatment of scabies, the physician may prescribe drugs that are taken orally as well as some drugs applied to the skin surface. Medicines consisting of products such as creams and lotions should be applied to the whole body from the neck down before bedtime. When you wake up in the morning, you should take a shower. Treatment with scabies in this way is repeated for approximately 1 week.
Some In some cases, this treatment method is supported by oral medications. Thus, itching and some other symptoms that reduce the quality of life of the person are alleviated. Medications prescribed by the physician should continue to be used for the specified time and dose, and the treatment process should never be interrupted.
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