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Review
. 2021 Feb 1:8:628392.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.628392. eCollection 2021.

Itch in Scabies-What Do We Know?

Sascha Ständer  1 , Sonja Ständer  2
Affiliations
Review

Itch in Scabies-What Do We Know?

Sascha Ständer et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Scabies is a common parasitic skin infestation characterized by severe itch and a heterogenous clinical presentation. Itch, as the cardinal symptom of scabies, is imposing a high burden on affected patients and is often difficult to manage. Decreased life quality and secondary complications, caused by an itch-related disruption of the epidermal barrier and subsequent superinfections, illustrate the need to treat scabies and to understand the underlying mechanisms of itch in respective patients. This review summarizes available data on itch in scabies with a special focus on the clinical aspects and its underlying pathomechanisms.

Keywords: itch; itch and its pathways; itch mediators; pruritus; scabies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical presentation of a male patient infected with scabies: Multiple erythematous papules in the periumbilical region with several scratch lesions and excoriations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Crusted scabies: Interdigitally located squamous plaques and disseminated erythematous papules.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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