Rising scabies incidence and the growing burden on GPs: a retrospective longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Scabies incidence is increasing in Europe, yet its impact on primary care remains understudied due to its non-notifiable status.
• General practitioners (GPs) are central to scabies management, but the burden on primary care services is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the epidemiology of scabies-related episodes in general practice.
• To assess the care burden associated with scabies management in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective longitudinal study analyzed pseudonymized data from nearly 40,000 patients across five Dutch general practices between 2014 and 2023.
• Incidence, patient and doctor delays, and care burden were compared between a low-incidence period (2014-2020) and a high-incidence period (2021-2023).

Main Results:

• Scabies episodes increased from 99 to 1341 per 100,000 patient-years, with a significant rise in encounters, particularly among young adults (17-25 years) and females.
• Patient delay in seeking care decreased, and initial diagnosis rates improved, while encounters without interventions declined significantly.
• There was a notable increase in medical prescriptions and referrals per capita, indicating a heightened care burden.

Conclusions:

• The study reveals an exponential rise in scabies episodes, substantially increasing the workload for general practices.
• Urgent public health interventions are recommended to control scabies transmission in regions with rising incidence rates.
• A coordinated clinical and public health strategy is essential to effectively manage the growing challenge of scabies in primary care.