Scabies: Its Treatment Futile

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Scabies is a ectoparasitic infestation casued by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Its mainifestation includes itching,excoriations, papular lesions and burrows. It is highly contagious, affecting usually all the members of a family staying togetheror inmates of a hostel. It is convenient to treat the affected ones but treating all the contacts is difficult, resulting in reinfection.Aims and Objectives: In this study we try to evaluate if application of topical scabicidal creams such as permentrin 5% iseffective in curing the disease.Materials and Methods: A total of 56 patients who presented to our Out patient department were included for the study. Theywere prescribed permetrin 5 % cream. Advice regarding the proper application of the cream and treatment of contacts wasgive. They were followed up at the OPD at 2 weeks, 1 and 2 months for assessment of response.Results: Our study showed that although effective initially in a significant number of patients, there was a considerable relapseof the infestation. Only 11 patients (19.64%) showed complete response with failure in the rest (80.36%).Conclusion: Although scabies is a common parasitic infestation, its treatment is complex. The difficulty in treating scabies isidentification and treatment of all of the contacts, many of whom are asymptomatic. The average cost of permetrin 5% cream isaround Rs 90, the cost involved in treating all the contacts such as family members and inmates in hostels would be far morethan what the common man can afford. This makes the treatment of scabies unfeasible especially in developing countries likeIndia. Hence scabies which is a self limiting infestation, is best treated symptomatically