The Ewha Medical Journal
Ewha Womans University School of Medicine
Guidelines

Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of scabies in Korea: Part 2. Treatment and prevention—a secondary publication

Jin Park1, Soon-Hyo Kwon2, Young Bok Lee3, Hei Sung Kim4, Jie Hyun Jeon5, Gwang Seong Choi6,*
1Department of Dermatology, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 54907, Korea.
2Department of Dermatology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul 05278, Korea.
3Department of Dermatology, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, Seoul 11765, Korea.
4Department of Dermatology, The Catholic University of Korea, Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, Incheon 21431, Korea.
5Department of Dermatology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul 08308, Korea.
6Department of Dermatology, Inha University Hospital, Incheon 22332, Korea.
*Corresponding Author: Gwang Seong Choi, Department of Dermatology, Inha University Hospital, Incheon 22332, Korea, Republic of. E-mail: garden@inha.ac.kr.

© Copyright 2024 Ewha Womans University School of Medicine. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Oct 13, 2024; Accepted: Oct 13, 2024

Published Online: Oct 31, 2024

Abstract

Treatment should be initiated for all suspected, clinical, or confirmed cases of scabies. Patients affected should be adequately isolated, and high-risk groups with close contact histories should be treated regardless of their symptoms. Optimal treatment strategies can be selected based on age, clinical subtype, and the patient's health status. In Korea, commercially available preparations for scabies treatment include topical 5% permethrin, topical 10% crotamiton, and oral ivermectin. Topical 5% permethrin is the first-line selective treatment for both classic and crusted scabies. Alternative treatments include topical 10% crotamiton and oral ivermectin. After completing treatment, follow-up visits at 2 and 4 weeks are recommended to monitor the therapeutic response. Treatment is considered to have failed if scabies mites or burrows are detected, new clinical characteristics develop, or there is an aggravation of pruritus. Scabies itch should be adequately managed with emollients, oral antihistamines, and topical corticosteroids. Preventive measures, including personal hygiene, patient education, and environmental control, should be implemented to reduce the transmission of scabies.

Keywords: Practice guidelines; Prevention and control; Scabies; Therapeutics