Crotamiton cream and lotion in the treatment of infants and young children with scabies.

Fifty hospitalized infants and small children in the age-group of 3 months to 2 years admitted with scabies were treated with 5 applications of either 10% crotamiton cream or lotion on consecutive days. In this trial, the second to be performed exclusively in infants and young children, an improvement in itching was observed in all patients within 3 days of starting the treatment and the examination on Day 7 showed absence of skin lesions in all patients. Crotamiton cream as well as lotion rendered a 100% cure rate. All patients, including those having secondary pyoderma and/or eczematization tolerated the treatment with crotamiton cream and lotion well and no adverse reactions, either due to the topical application or to the transcutaneous systemic absorption of crotamiton, were reported. Post-treatment laboratory investigations did not reveal any unwanted effect due to transcutaneous systemic absorption of crotamiton on the blood, kidneys or liver. Crotamiton is the only scabicide available today which displays not only antiprurtic but also marked antibacterial properties. It is especially indicated in the treatment of scabies in children as they are very prone to secondary bacterial infection following scratching. In view of its good efficacy and excellent tolerability the 5-application treatment schedule, with crotamiton cream applied to the whole body from the chin downward, can therefore be recommended as an optimum form of treatment for scabies in infants and young children.