Analysis of the effectiveness of the first cycle of permethrin 5% in pediatric patients with scabies

Abstract

The goals of treatment are eradication of the mites from the infected individual, prevention of spread of scabies to other individuals, relief of associated itching, and recognition and treatment of complications. Treatment generally includes everyone in the household, even if they have no symptoms: symptoms can take 4-6 weeks to develop after a person is infested. Scabies is most commonly treated with 5 % permethrin dermal cream. The objective of this paper was to describe factors associated with treatment response and effectiveness of a first course of 5 % permethrin in a pediatric population with scabies. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out through the study of medical records from a primary health care center in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The study period will include records from January 2020 to September 2022. The study population will consist of pediatric patients receiving care at the center and diagnosed with scabies. This study identified that breastfeeding is not a factor associated with response to treatment, however, a history of scabies is a risk factor for both the development of the disease as well as a factor delaying symptom remission. A low rate of non-response to the first course of treatment with permethrin 5 % was identified, which implies an acceptable effectiveness of this treatment for the management of scabies, together with hygienic-sanitary measures