Epidemiological and Clinical Study of Scabies over the Last 4 Years in the North-west Gyeonggido Province: Focus on the Treatment Effect and Comparison between Inpatients and Outpatients / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Scabies is a common parasitic infestation that is an important public-health problem in many resource-poor regions. The incidence of scabies decreased during the past 20 years, but it has been increasing with the increase in the number of elderly people and nursing hospitals in Korea. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate and compare the clinical aspects and etiologic factors between outpatients and inpatients diagnosed with scabies. Also, we tried to investigate the clinical efficacy of topical therapies for the treatment of scabies. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 200 patients who were diagnosed with scabies with a mineral oil test or skin biopsy between September 2009 and August 2013. RESULTS: Of 200 patients, 91 (45.5%) were men and 109 (54.5%) were women. The mean age of the patients was 59.2+/-26.6 years (men 54.9+/-27.6 years/women 62.8+/-25.2 years), and 61% of patients were aged >60 years. There was no seasonal variation in occurrence. Common primary lesions were papules and burrows in both inpatients and outpatients. Also, hyperkeratotic lesions were more commonly observed in inpatients (60%) than in outpatients (16.4%). The majority of the suspected routes of infection were transmissions through the nursing homes or hospitals (outpatients 37.6%, inpatients 71.4%). The mean time to diagnosis was 59+/-85.1 days (outpatients 62.97+/-92.11 days, inpatients 40.6+/-32.2 days) and to complete treatment was 31.87+/-49.2 days (outpatients 35.3+/-53.14 days, inpatients 14.8+/-13.87 days). CONCLUSION: We confirmed that nursing homes or hospitals are sources of herd infection. Therefore, dermatologists should educate the medical team and caregivers who work in nursing homes and hospitals about the clinical aspects and treatments of scabies.