Unfortunately, in practice, scabies is largely diagnosed based only on the clinical picture, which may lead to a misdiagnosis. A broad differential diagnosis of scabies can include atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic contact dermatitis, nummular eczema, arthropod bites, dermatitis herpetiformis, etc. (1, 7).
The rash from eczema and scabies can look alike, but they have very different causes and treatments. Scabies comes from a mite that burrows into the skin, and it's very contagious. Eczema is a chronic condition that can't spread from person to person. Treatment is important for both eczema and scabies.
For example, scabies, an infection caused by a mite that gets under the skin, can cause itching and raised red spots too. 4 Unlike hives, however, scabies bites tend to localize at skin folds, i.e., between fingers, at the flexion points over your wrists, elbows, and knees, and along the genitalia.
Good hygiene alone won't stop the mites that cause the itching of scabies, but it's a treatable condition. Sometimes an itch is just a temporary annoyance, but if that itch persists, begins to show as a rash, or gets worse at night, you may have scabies.
To make sure that a patient has scabies, a dermatologist may remove some skin. This is painless. Your dermatologist will put the skin on a glass slide and look at the slide under a microscope. If your dermatologist sees scabies mites or their eggs, it is certain that you have scabies.
Shingles can sometimes be confused with other skin conditions, including scabies. 1 Scabies is a condition caused by an allergic reaction to the human itch mite.
Atypical scabies is characterized by unusual skin manifestations such as scaling or thickening suggestive of psoriasis. Thickened nails, alopecia, generalized hyperpigmentation, and pyoderma with lymphadenopathy also may occur. Itching may be reduced or absent, making diagnosis more difficult.
Scabies and eczema are both skin conditions that give you itchy red rashes. However, scabies is caused by a parasite, a mite that invades your body. Sometimes you can see patterns that look like lines where the burrows are. Eczema is a type of rash with an unknown cause.
Bed bug bites are raised, flat red welts, characteristically in rows of three. Scabies bites have a more rash-like in appearance. Scabies burrows look like grayish-white, raised lines. Scabies mites tunnel under the skin to lay eggs, which is what causes the itching.
Scabies often gets misdiagnosed as eczema, dermatitis prurigo nodularis, or lupus erythematosus [8].
Severe itching (pruritus), especially at night, is the earliest and most common symptom of scabies. A pimple-like (papular) itchy (pruritic) “scabies rash” is also common. Itching and rash may affect much of the body or be limited to common sites such as: Between the fingers.
In addition, when treating infants and young children, scabicide lotion or cream also should be applied to their entire head and neck because scabies can affect their face, scalp, and neck, as well as the rest of their body.
The scabies rash takes the form of small, red bumps that may look like pimples, bug bites, hives or knots under the skin. You might be able to see the burrow tracks created by the mites, which appear as raised lines of tiny blisters or bumps. Some people develop scaly patches that resemble eczema.
They may look similar, but they couldn't be more different
Because scabies causes itching and can resemble certain aspects of eczema (redness and vesicles, lesions from scratching), it is sometimes mistaken for eczema.
Scabies is a common, yet neglected, skin disease. Scabies occurs across Australia, but most frequently in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in tropical regions, including in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In temperate settings, the disease clusters in institutional care facilities.
Ringworm is a fungal infection — whereas scabies is caused by mites — and it is easily identified by the appearance of a characteristic red, ring-shaped rash, most commonly affecting the feet, groin and scalp.
Classic scabies is the most common form with notable symptoms of severe pruritus, which is often worse in the evening, irritability, fatigue, and, in some patients, fever from aforementioned secondary infections.
Scabies can lead to skin sores and serious complications like septicaemia (a bloodstream infection), heart disease and kidney problems. It is treated using creams or oral medications. Scabies is contagious and spreads through skin-to-skin contact. It occurs worldwide but is most common in low-income tropical areas.
If left untreated, the infestation may last for years, and has been called the seven year itch. This is a photomicrograph of a skin scraping that contains a scabies mite, eggs, and feces.
Stress, like diet, is not a direct cause of scabies, but it can play a role in weakening your immune system.
The difference between scabies and chickenpox is that chickenpox is caused by a virus, while scabies is caused by a mite under the skin. Both cause itching and a rash with reddened skin and oozing blisters. Scabies itches most at night, and the rash does not appear on the head and neck.