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Scabietic vasculitis: Report of 2 cases.
C Clevy1, D Brajon1, E Combes1
1Service de dermatologie, hôpital Nord, chemin des Bourrely, 13015 Marseille, France.
Annales De Dermatologie Et De Venereologie
|March 23, 2017
Summary
Scabies can cause cutaneous vasculitis, a rare condition. Treating scabies alone resolved vasculitis in two patients, suggesting a hypersensitivity reaction.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Parasitology
- Immunology
Background:
- Cutaneous vasculitis commonly stems from infections like streptococcus, but parasitic causes are rare.
- Scabies, a parasitic infestation, is increasingly prevalent and infrequently linked to cutaneous vasculitis.
Observation:
- Two elderly patients in nursing homes presented with purpuric lesions and severe pruritus.
- Skin biopsies confirmed leukocytoclastic vasculitis and scabies infestation in both cases.
- No alternative causes for vasculitis were identified despite thorough investigations.
Findings:
- Both patients experienced complete resolution of vasculitic lesions solely through scabies treatment.
- No recurrence of vasculitis was observed after successful scabies eradication.
- This suggests a direct link between scabies infestation and the development of vasculitis.
Implications:
- Scabies should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous vasculitis, especially in institutionalized populations.
- The findings suggest scabietic vasculitis may result from a hypersensitivity reaction to the mite or its products.
- Effective management of scabies may resolve associated vasculitis, avoiding the need for immunosuppressive therapy.
