Scabies

Diagnosis

Scabies is a very contagious illness that can spread to members of your family and other people who have close physical contact with you. For this reason you should never self-diagnose this illness. You must be examined by a professional.

After reviewing your symptoms and your risk factors (sexual contact, crowded living conditions, high-risk work environment), your doctor will examine your skin. Most often, the diagnosis is made based on skin findings and known exposure or possible exposure to scabies. The doctor looks for bumps between the fingers and toes and for burrows. The doctor also may scrape an area of rash gently to look for the mites or their eggs.

Expected Duration

With proper treatment, the rash and intense itching of scabies usually begin to subside within one to two days, although some milder itching can persist for a few weeks.

Without treatment, scabies can be a long-term infestation that can spread to other people. During the course of the illness, persistent scratching can lead to chronic crusting of the skin or to painful secondary skin infections caused by bacteria.