Scabies Symptoms

The scabies itch, which is the most telling of the scabies symptoms,  is often severe and is usually worse at night and while bathing. Visible scabies symptoms include rash and bumps between the fingers; inside the wrists, elbows, or knees; in the skin creases of the buttocks and groin; around the navel and nipples (especially in women); on the feet; and on external genitalia.

The bumps contain nests for hatching and growing mites. They can become inflamed, crusty, and hard, and can persist for weeks after treatment. The burrows may appear as short, zigzag, grayish lines under the skin. Scabies is a local infection with no known systemic complications. The itching and rash will intensify and spread without treatment. Scratching often produces secondary bacterial infection, pus-filled lesions, and cracks in the skin.

Extreme Itching – the most common scabies symptoms

Scabies is an infection of the skin caused by mites. These mites dig beneath the surface of the skin and lay their eggs. Therefore, your skin feels very itchy and you have red bumps and blisters on the skin, some of the most common symptoms of scabies. This disease is very common, especially in places which are used by many people, especially hospitals, the homes and nursing homes.

To get scabies you must have contact with someone with scabies. Brief contact with an infected person is not sufficient to contact scabies, but if you live in the same house with someone who has scabies, or have sex with this person, you can contract scabies. Infection is also possible by contact with infected clothing, bedding or towels.  The scabies mite cannot live more than a few days without a host.

To contract scabies, you need a contact with an infected person with close contact. Anyone can become infected, regardless of where their status or ethnic origin. However, it is much more common in people living in a common house, like a shelter, or who have regular contact with children and babies.

Scabies symptoms will usually become noticeable within four weeks, sometimes quicker, sometimes longer, depending on the person. Being a person who had scabies before, the symptoms of scabies may appear faster than two days. The most common scabies symptoms are itching, especially at night, and appear as a rash of red bumps.

Treatment of your Scabies Symptoms

The treatment of scabies is very easy with the right help from your doctor. If you do not treat scabies, this disease may continue for months. Scabies treatment consists mainly with the application of a cream or lotion to the affected areas of the infection.  In applying this cream it is necessary to apply it from the neck down. Also, pay special attention to the knees, elbows and wrists, for those parts of the body are the most common areas affected by the scabies.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made by physical examination. Scabies lesions can be scraped to obtain a sample of tissue, which is mixed with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and examined under a microscope for eggs, feces, and mites. This test confirms the diagnosis and rules out other skin diseases that cause itching and can confirm scabies symptoms.