SKIN CONDITIONS Flashcards
SCABIES - DEFINITION
- Scabies is a skin condition caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis mite
- These little bugs make tunnels (burrow) under the skin and cause small red bumps and severe itching
- Scabies spreads easily from person to person, especially among people who live close together
- Scabies is a worldwide problem but happens most often in tropical areal and in very crowded places
SCABIES - TYPES
- Crusted (Norwegian)
o Often happens in people with faulty immune systems
o Tends to form crusted areas covering a large area of skin - Nodular
o This type is common among children
o The brown-red nodules can still be there long after the mites are gone - Bullous
o In adults, this type of scabies can be mistaken for bullous pemphigoid, another condition involving skin blisters - Scalp
o This type occurs on the scalp
o May not present symptoms except for scales that may look like psoriasis
SCABIES - CAUSE
- Scabies is a skin condition caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis mite
SCABIES - POPULATION AFFECTED
- Anyone can get scabies
- Slightly more common in infants and children because they have close physical contact with parents, friends, family members and classmates
SCABIES - RISK FACTORS
- People who live in close, crowded conditions
- Infants and children
- People who are elderly, especially those living in nursing homes
- Healthcare workers who care for people who aren’t aware they have scabies
SCABIES - CLINICAL PRESENTATION
- You can be infected with scabies for 4 to 6 weeks before having the early symptoms of the red rash and bumps
- The tiny spots may look like bumps and pimples
- The rash spreads slowly over a period of weeks or months
- In addition to the rash, signs and symptoms of scabies include
o Intense itching, which is worse at nighty and could make it hard to sleep
o Bumps that sometimes become infected as a result of scratching
o A later rash that looks greyish or skin-coloured lines on the skin - Children with scabies may have itching all over their bodies and might be cranky or tired from lack of sleep due to itching at night
SCABIES - WHERE DO SCABIES MITES LIVE ON THE BODY?
- Mites live in the folds and narrow cracks of the skin
- Folds in between the fingers and toes
- Folds in the thighs and genital area
- Bends at the wrist and knees
- The area around the waist
- Under the fingernails
- Under rings, watch bands and bracelets
- The area around the nipples
SCABIES - DIAGNOSIS
- Diagnosis involves a physical exam where the rash is inspected
SCABIES - TREATMENT
- Cream that contains a medicine called permethrin to treat scabies
- The cream is applied to the whole body below the head, including the hands, palms and soles of the feet
- In children the cream may need to be applied to the scalp
- Permethrin cream is left on the skin for 8 to 14 hours and then washed off
SCABIES - PREVENTION
- Washing bed linens, towels and clothing in hot water and machine dry
- Making sure family members and others in close contact with the infected person get checked for scabies
- Limiting close contact with others if you know you have got scabies
SCABIES - PROGNOSIS
- Prognosis is good
- Scabies can be treated very quickly and easily
- You can get scabies more than once, you can get it any time that you come into close contact with an infected person
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - DEFINITION
- Body lice are small, oblong insects that feed on human blood
- There are 3 types of lice that affect humans
o Body lice
o Head lice
o Pubic lice
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - STAGES OF BODY LICE
- Nit
o Oval shaped, yellow-white lice eggs
o They are very small and you may not see them on the skin
o Nits hatch within 1 or 2 weeks - Nymph
o A nymph is an adolescent louse that hatches from a nit
o Nymphs are smaller than adult lice but will mature into adults after feeding on blood for 9 – 12 days - Adult
o An adult louse looks yellow-grey or brown-red
o They are about the size of a sesame seed (3mm)
o Female lice are typically bigger than male lice and they lay over 300 nits during their lifespan
o Body lice only live for about 20 days
o If an adult louse cannot feed on blood it will die within 1 to 2 days - Body lice dint live on your body, they live and reproduce in the clothing
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - CAUSE
- Body lice spread by direct, person-to-person contact
- You may also get body lice by sharing
o Clothing
o Bedding
o Towels
o Other linens
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - POPULATION AFFECTED
- Anyone can have lice
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - RISK FACTORS
- People without housing
- Refugees
- Victims of natural disasters
- Victims of war
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - CLINICAL PRESENTATION
- Symptoms of body lice vary
- If the body lice carry disease or an allergic reaction occurs symptoms may be more severe
- Common symptoms
o A tickling feeling on the skin
o Itchy and irritated skin
o Groups of small, discoloured (red, purple, brown) dots or bites. They may grow bigger and develop a lighter discoloured ring around the outside - More severe symptoms may include
o Sores
o Infections - If you have a long-term body lice infestation or if heavily bite certain areas of the skin, the skin may thicken and get darker
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - DISEASES SPREAD BY BODY LICE
- Typhus
o A bacterial infection that causes a skin rash, fever and headaches - Trench fever
o A bacterial infection that causes fever, weakness, dizziness, headaches and pain in the legs and back - Louse-borne relapsing fever
o A bacterial infection that causes recurring fever, nausea and vomiting and muscle pains
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - DIAGNOSIS
- Diagnosis involves a physical exam
- The examiner may also look at your clothing
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - TREATMENT
- Most people get rid of lice by regularly bathing with soap and warm water and washing their clothes
- To prevent them from coming back you should wash all fabric materials at least once a week
- Wash clothing, bedding and other fabrics in hot water – 60 degrees
- If you cant wash certain things you should put them in a sealed plastic bag for about 2 weeks
- Treatments
o Oral antiparasite medication – ivermectin tablets
o Topical antiparasite powder, lotion cream or shampoo – permethrin - How to manage symptoms
o Antihistamines
o Hydrocortisone - Home remedies
o Aloe vera gel
o Ice
o Oatmeal
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - PREVENTION
- You can prevent body lice by
o Bathing
o Washing clothing, bedding and other personal items at least once a week
PEDICULOSIS (BODY LICE) - PROGNOSIS
- Most people recover without medication
- It may need 2 weeks for the infestation to go away
- Nots hatch in 1 or 2 weeks and can be killed through proper washing of clothing or bedding in hot water
- Adult lice and nymphs will die in one or two days if they cant deed on the blood
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - DEFINITION
- Commonly known as shingles
- Shingles is a viral infection that causes an outbreak of a painful rash or blisters on the skin
- It is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - CAUSE
- Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus
- This is the same virus that causes chicken pox
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - POPULATION AFFECTED
- Typically affects older people and those who are inane suppressed
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - RISK FACTORS
- Having a weakened immune system
o Cancer
o HIV
o Organ transplant
o Chemotherapy - Over 50
- Been recently ill
- Experienced trauma
- Under stress
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - CLINICAL PRESENTATION
- Early symptoms of shingles
o Fever
o Chills
o Headache
o Feeling tired
o Sensitivity to light
o Stomach upset - Other signs and symptoms that appear after a few days
o An itching, tingling or burning feeling in an area of your skin
o Redness on the skin in the affected area
o Raised rash in a small area of the skin
o Fluid-filled blisters that break open then scab over
o Mild to severe pain in the area of skin affected
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - PROGRESSION
- It can take 3 to 5 weeks from the time the pt begins to feel symptoms until the rash totally disappears
1. First, a few days before the rash appears, pt may feel pain in an area of the skin. The pain is described as itching, burning, stabbing or shooting. This usually happens before the rash comes
2. Next, the raised rash appears as a band or a patch, usually on one side of the pt body. The rash usually appears around the waistline or on one side of the face, neck, or on the trunk, but not always. It can occur on other areas including the arms and legs
3. Within 3 to 4 days, the rash develops into red, fluid-filled, painful, open blisters
4. Usually, these blisters begin to dry out and crust over withing about 10 days
5. The scabs clear up about 2 to 3 weeks later
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - DIAGNOSIS
- Shingles can be diagnosed by the way the rash is distributed on the body
- The blisters of a shingles rash usually appear in a band on one side of the body
- May also be diagnosed in a laboratory using scrapings or a swab of the fluid from the blisters
ACUTE HERPES ZOSTER - TREATMENT
- No cure
- Antiviral medications
o Used to ease discomfort and make symptoms stop sooner
o Acyclovir
o Famciclovir
o Valacyclovir - Over the counter pain medications
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
o Prednisone