Scabies is not one of the diseases we hope to find in the papers today, but a recent statement by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases (AEDV) has brought the disease into question. In it, they warn of “significant increase in cases of scabies and loss of effectiveness of treatment.” What is scabies ourselves, and why is it now worrying dermatologists and to what extent should it worry us?

What is scabies?
Scabies or scabies is a skin disease caused by a parasite. Sarcoptes scabieiespecially the variant specialized in parasitizing humans (there is. hominis). These mites lay their eggs under the skin and hatch after three weeks, the disease is an allergic immune response to these microscopic animals.

It is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, so transmission between members of the same family and people living together is common. Patients can also be contagious before they have symptoms, making it easy to transmit. It is estimated that scabies affects approximately 200 million people worldwide.

It is not a serious disease, the usual symptoms are a skin rash accompanied by severe itching. Cristina Galván, dermatologist at Móstoles University Hospital, explains in a statement released by AEDV that this means the disease has never received much attention for research. Derived complications are often caused by scratching, which can cause sores that can lead to infections.

Why are dermatologists worried now?
The AEDV statement was published in the context of the 49th Congress celebrations. With the news of many dermatological problems in recent months, the congress said, ‘Scabies, what’s going on?’ He gave special attention to the disease with a session entitled. It seems that what’s going on is about incarceration, according to the dermatologists themselves. The initial intuition was that it would reduce the incidence of diseases such as scabies, but the opposite was confirmed.

In the words of Eliseo Martínez, a dermatologist member of the association, “we spent more time at home, we had more daily contact between cohabitants; may have promoted the spread of scabies in family units with an affected member. They also point out that the pandemic has caused delays in both diagnosis and treatment, which means higher parasite burden and greater chance of transmission.

Spain is not the only country experiencing an increase in the number of cases. The subject has also attracted the attention of researchers in countries such as Italy and Turkey. A significant number of articles have been published on the subject. Perhaps more worrying is that the upward trend was seen before the pandemic in Spain and elsewhere.

Loss of efficacy of treatments.
The increase in cases isn’t the only thing that worries dermatologists. Some treatments lose their effectiveness. In Galván’s words, “therapeutic failures versus approved treatments” are observed. Martínez points out that although the description does not refer to a specific study, the work and experience of dermatologists overlap in observing this phenomenon.

Eliminate the stigma.
Faced with this problem, it points to the need to intensify treatments and combine them to achieve efficacy. Of course, prevention is still the key, it is always key to go to the doctor to start treatment and be able to take the necessary precautions to avoid further infection.

In this sense, it is important to remove the stigma associated with this disease, including some myths that dermatologists disprove. This affects the relationship between illness and hygiene habits. According to dermatologists, neither body hygiene nor frequent washing of clothes affect the spread of this parasite. Changing rooms are also not considered a source of transmission of this disease.

Skin manifestations of vaccines.
The association also takes the opportunity to take some notes on the latest developments in the study of the dermatological effects of vaccines against Covid-19. In this case, they refer to a study conducted in Spain, which compiled information on 375 cases where these side effects were observed, ranging from the most common, such as hives and the “Covid arm”, to the usual mild. It is as rare and serious as the recurrence of dermatoses. They also note that “women and younger people have more skin manifestations after vaccination.”

Image | HCM