Professional paper

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2022.61.02.22

Scabies Cases Misdiagnosed and Treated as Allergic Diseases: Itch as Alarm

Liborija Lugović-Mihić orcid.org/0000-0001-7494-5742 ; Department of Dermatovenereology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia; School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Delaš Aždajić orcid.org/0000-0003-3619-0216 ; Department of Dermatovenereology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Bešlić ; Department of Dermatovenereology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The lack of scabies recognition by physicians is often caused by its similarity with
other dermatoses and allergies such as eczema, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis,
etc. The aim of this study was to present the most common misdiagnoses of scabies in physician’s work.
With the aim of preventing future misdiagnoses in physicians’ work, we present 6 cases of patients
(1 woman and 5 men, aged 23-82) who had been misdiagnosed prior to admission to our ward (tertiary
care unit). In our patients, scabies was unrecognized for months during which time the patients
were treated for allergic/immune diseases (nummular eczema, drug-induced reaction, allergic contact
dermatitis, autoimmune skin disease). Additionally, none of our patients had lived in unhygienic
conditions or were close to infected persons, but all had concomitant itch. Because of the similarity
between scabies and pruritic allergic disorders, it is important to exclude scabies before diagnosing an
allergy, based on patient history and skin examination. Early scabies recognition in practice is crucial
for minimizing the disease societal impacts.

Keywords

Scabies; Allergy; Diagnostics; Differential diagnosis; Itch; Skin; Eczema; Exanthema

Hrčak ID:

285015

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/285015

Publication date:

1.8.2022.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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