Increase of scabies in Germany and development of resistant mites? Evidence and consequences
Scabies has been diagnosed surprisingly frequently in Germany in recent years, and the use of acaricides has risen markedly. Present figures indicate an increase in the prevalence/incidence of scabies, but do not prove or quantify it for the following reasons: (a) scabies is not a notifiable disease in Germany; (b) the diagnosis is not always confirmed lege artis by means of light microscopy or dermatoscopy (which may lead to a comparatively high proportion of false positive diagnoses due to the low overall prevalence of scabies) (c) repeated treatments of the same patient and treatment of contact persons are included in the total number of prescriptions. Therefore, there are no valid data on disease occurrence, either in the current situation or from previous periods.
Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft Journal of the German Society of Dermatology JDDG