The changing patterns of scabies among in-patients in Singapore (1982-1989)

One hundred and fourteen patients with scabies admitted to a dermatological ward between 1982 and 1989 were studied retrospectively. There was a change in the epidemiological pattern over the eight-year period. We noticed an increase of two to three fold in the incidence of in-patients with scabies. At the beginning of the decade the majority of the patients were below 20 years but towards the end of the decade the same proportion of patients were above 50 years. There was also a change in the racial distribution of scabies from a Malay predominance to a Chinese predominance. We also noticed a change in the residential status of these patients; more patients admitted towards the end of the decade came from institutional homes. The changing epidemiological pattern brought with it new problems both in diagnosis and in the prevention of scabies.