Scabies is a skin disease that belongs to the parasitic group and is common. Quite often, pediatricians encounter him in their medical practice. Unfortunately, statistics show that the disease occurs not only in children of preschool or school age. Unpleasant symptoms in the form of a rash and itching torment even very small crumbs. For example, in some children, scabies is diagnosed before the age of 1 year. What is this disease and how can it be de alt with?
Pathogen and route of infection
The disease in children is caused by the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiel. This parasite has a very small size. Ticks cannot be seen with the naked eye. The size of the female is somewhere around 0.25-0.35 mm. Males are slightly smaller. Their dimensions are 0.15-0.2 mm. An important fact is that scabies mites parasitize only in human skin. This means that sick people are always the source of infection.
A scabies mite can get on the body of a he althy child in several ways - through direct contact with a sick person and through indirect transmission. The first option, for example, is possible in cases where parents are sick with scabies andtouch the child. Infection by direct contact also occurs from sick children. With the indirect method, the tick is transmitted through things, toys, school supplies, etc.
Clinical presentation in newborns and infants
What does scabies look like in children? When answering this question, it is worth noting that the disease does not occur in all people in exactly the same way. Symptoms in infants and newborns are very different from those in adults. In babies, scabies rash occurs almost all over the body. Its elements are sometimes even found on the scalp and face. Most often, rashes in young children are localized on the palms, soles (especially in the area of the dorsum of the feet and on their inner arch). The rash is edematous seropapules and vesicles.
Those people who do not know what scabies looks like in children should take a closer look at the places with rashes. Scabies are often visible on the skin. They appear due to the vital activity of parasites. Ticks, upon contact with the skin, immediately begin to “dig” the stratum corneum. Scabies are whitish or grayish lines that rise slightly above the surface of the skin. Their length can reach up to 1 cm. There are females in the blind ends of the scabies. The presence of parasites is indicated by small black dots under the layer of skin (these dots are mites).
Manifestations of scabies in older children
Symptoms in older children are similar to the manifestations of the disease in adults. One of the main symptoms is itching. It is most painful at night. Increase or decrease in itching is determined by the daily rhythm of tick activity. During the day, the female is not active, is at rest. In the evening, she begins to gnaw holes in the scabies passage for laying eggs. At night, the female is already "digging" a course in a straight line. During this process, the tick feeds. During the day, the parasite stops and again plunges into a dormant state.
Another symptom of scabies seen in older children is a rash. Its typical localization is the interdigital spaces, the lateral surfaces of the fingers, the flexor surfaces of the limbs, and the lateral surfaces of the body. Rash elements can also be observed in the lower abdomen, on the buttocks.
Course of illness
Symptoms do not always occur immediately after a tick hits the skin. The duration of the incubation period of scabies in children is determined by the stage of development at which the parasites are located. In cases where females get on the skin, there is no incubation period as such. Parasites immediately begin to "dig" moves, lay eggs. Because of this, almost immediately a person develops itching. When a child becomes infected with larvae, the incubation period begins. In terms of duration, it can be about 2 weeks.
Often the disease is complicated by the addition of a secondary purulent infection. Because of it, there are difficulties in diagnosing scabies. It is also worth noting the presence of a special form of this disease - Norwegian. This scabies is a fairly rare variety. It develops in patients withimmunodeficiency, HIV infection. The disease is characterized by the appearance of thick, dirty-green crusts on the affected skin. With such symptoms in children, movements are limited, painful. Itching may be absent or mild.
Diagnosis of scabies
Doctors do not make a diagnosis based on the signs of scabies in children. Studies are being carried out that make it possible to identify the causative agent of the disease - a tick. A mandatory diagnostic method is dermatoscopy. This is a non-invasive visual evaluation of skin lesions.
Other diagnostic methods include:
- Scraping method. To conduct a study, a drop of 40% lactic acid is applied to the affected area (on the vesicle, scabies). After 5 minutes, skin particles are scraped off with a scalpel, transferred to a glass slide and examined under a microscope.
- Staining method. This method is used to verify scabies. For staining, an alcohol solution of iodine, aniline dyes are used.
How to cure scabies in a child
When a disease is diagnosed, treatment is prescribed for several purposes. They are:
- destruction of parasites (both adult ticks and their larvae);
- eliminate all symptoms of the disease;
- preventing the attachment of a secondary infection to existing scratches and wounds on the body;
- preventing the infection of others.
Drugs for scabies for children are prescribed by a doctor withtaking into account the age of the patients. If the baby is not 1 year old, then use Spregal. This is an aerosol for external use. The drug is safe for the child when used correctly. For children aged 1 to 3 years, pediatricians prescribe Spregal, Medifox for scabies. The second drug is commercially available in various forms - in the form of a gel, a concentrate for preparing an emulsion. At the age of 3 to 7 years, you can use a variety of preparations for scabies - a 10% emulsion and benzyl benzoate ointment, Spregal, Medifox, 5% sulfuric ointment.
When hospitalization is required
In some cases, a child with scabies on the body can end up in a hospital. There are certain indications for hospitalization. Firstly, those children who cannot be isolated from the team during the period of treatment are sent to the hospital. A similar situation is observed in orphanages and boarding schools. Sick children are a danger to he althy children. That is why the above-mentioned indication for hospitalization was established.
Another indication for referral to a hospital is scabies complicated by secondary pyoderma (that is, the introduction of pyogenic cocci). In this condition, deterioration of well-being, an increase in body temperature is possible. For the treatment of complicated scabies, doctors conduct a special therapy, which ultimately relieves both the infection and the tick.
Features of therapy when an infection is attached
Treatment of scabies in children complicated by secondary pyoderma consists ofseveral stages. The patient is being treated with a scabicide. This tool contributes to the death of scabies mites. Scabicide is rubbed on the 1st and 4th day of treatment. On the 2nd and 3rd day, the associated infection is actively treated.
Drugs to treat the infection are chosen by the doctor depending on the type of pyoderma. With superficial pyoderma, external therapy is used. Pustules are treated with aniline dyes, 10% potassium permanganate solution. After drying, they switch to the use of ointments with antibiotics. With deep forms of pyoderma, systemic antibiotics are used in the treatment.
Norwegian scabies treatment
Therapy for a rare form of scabies (Norwegian) is carried out according to a special scheme. Within a few days, use any scabicide and some kind of keratolytic drug (for example, 3-5% sulfuric salicylic ointment). The first remedy is used in the evenings to treat the patient's body, and the second - in the morning. Such treatment is carried out until the disappearance of one of the signs of scabies in children - crusts. These elements on the skin exfoliate with proper therapy.
After the structures are removed from the surface of the skin, the use of the scabicide is continued. This remedy is used for about 2 or 3 days in the evenings. Additionally, emollients and moisturizers are allowed. They help to eliminate dry skin.
Folk remedies
In alternative medicine, there are many recipes for a rash with scabies in children. Remedies are made and applied as follows:
- Crushed barkbuckthorn (4 tablespoons) pour boiling water (1 l). The mixture is heated over low heat for 10 minutes. Next, the remedy is insisted for half an hour and filtered. This decoction of buckthorn bark is used to wipe the body 1-2 times a day.
- Berries and branches of juniper (100 g) pour a bucket of boiling water. The container with this mixture is put on fire and boiled for 15 minutes. The prepared mixture is used for rubbing the body or for preparing a bath for bathing.
- Celandine grass is dried and crushed. It is mixed with cream. The resulting product is lubricated with places affected by scabies.
If you want to use folk remedies for scabies in children, you do not need to refuse treatment and drugs prescribed by doctors. The drugs are needed. Thanks to them, you can quickly save the child from the disease. Regarding the use of folk remedies, it is worth consulting with your doctor, because not all recipes are effective and safe. A specialist may recommend the use of some decoctions in combination with standard treatment.
Why treatment may end up being ineffective
No need to be afraid to use the drugs that the doctor prescribed for the treatment of scabies in children. They do not harm, but help get rid of the parasite. Because of the fear of any side effects, people do not follow the treatment regimen. As a result, therapy is ineffective for the following reasons:
- use of drugs in low concentrations;
- non-compliance with the timing and frequency of treatment of affected areas;
- applying a drug to the body without taking into account the daily rhythm of parasite activity;
- incomplete treatment of affected skin;
- use of expired scabicides.
Scabies Prevention
Preventing the disease is quite difficult, because its occurrence does not depend on the child himself. Scabies in children does not develop, for example, due to dirty hands, poor hygiene, or eating unwashed fruit. Medical workers play an important role in prevention, because they regularly conduct preventive examinations in children's groups - in preschool and educational institutions. Children with identified scabies are exempted from classes for the duration of the full treatment.
If the disease occurs in a family member, then parents should do everything possible to prevent the spread of parasites and infection of children. Prevention consists of the following measures to be taken:
- bedding, linen, wash clothes in an automatic washing machine at a temperature of 70-90 degrees or soak for 1 hour in a chlorine solution;
- clothes that cannot be washed, ironed on both sides with a hot iron;
- those things that can neither be washed nor ironed, hung outside for 3 days;
- put shoes, children's toys in airtight bags and exclude from use for several days;
- treat things with a special tool "A-par" with anti-pediculosis, anti-scabies, anti-parasitic action.
Scabies in children is an easy-to-treat disease only when it is not complicated by anything. If suspicious symptoms appear in a child, scratching, it is recommended to consult a doctor. The sooner treatment is started, the sooner it will be possible to get rid of the disease without the use of antibiotics.
