Characteristics of patients diagnosed with scabies. A descriptive study
e202609045
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67113/resp.v100i1.441Keywords:
Scabies, Permethrin, Drug Therapy, Control, Population CharacteristicsAbstract
BACKGROUND // Scabies is a disease whose incidence has increased in Spain in recent years. Furthermore, experts have pointed to the potential emergence of resistance to the medications used to treat the disease. The aim of this paper was to describe the characteristics of people diagnosed with scabies and their influence on healing.
METHODS // A descriptive cross-sectional study of 867 people diagnosed with scabies, who were followed up by the STNE, was carried out. Sociodemographic data, related to the disease and its treatment, and related to the work of the STNE were included. Descriptive and inferential analysis was performed. Chi-Square, Fisher’s exact test, Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon Scores tests were used, considering p<0.05 as significant.
RESULTS // 48.2% were women. The mean (SD) age was 29.9 (19.1) years. 65.3% were Spanish. 81% lived with someone in a private home and 9% had a relationship with a social-healthcare resource. 89.4% were diagnosed in Primary Care. 79.4% of people had not had previous episodes of scabies. 69% of cases were cured after receiving only one treatment regime. The first choice treatment was permethrin (61.2%). Sulfur Vaseline was the choice (25%) from the third treatment regimen onwards. They facilitated an average of 2.8 (2.9) close contacts. The reported area of exposure was unknown in 53.2%. People with greater difficulty to be healed were younger than twenty years (p=0.0130) and had more close contacts (3.2 vs 2.5), especially users of social-healthcare resources (5.5).
CONCLUSIONS // Scabies affects any type of person, although there may be a greater impact due to certain characteristics. Healing is difficult, especially in populations associated with the use of socio-health resources.
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