Epidemiological Evaluation of Scabies Cases Presenting to a Tertiary Healthcare Facility Over a Five-year Period.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the demographic characteristics and annual trends of scabies cases before, during, and after the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic.

METHODS

All patients diagnosed with scabies at the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Yozgat Bozok University between January 2019 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic data, including age, sex, nationality, and admission date, were retrieved from the hospital database.

RESULTS

Two thousand ten of 50,887 patients (3.9%) were diagnosed with scabies during the five-year study period (2019-2023). The frequencies of scabies from 2019 to 2023 were 1.66%, 2.9%, 3.12%, 5.99%, and 5.82%, respectively, and a statistically significant difference was observed across the years (p<0.001). Males represented 54.5% of the total cases. The lowest frequency was in the second quarter of 2019, and the highest in the first quarter of 2023 (1.31% and 7.84% respectively). The fourth quarter exhibited the highest overall case count (p<0.001). The patient's mean age was 29.4±21.9 years, with significant annual variation (p=0.002). The prevalence of scabies was significantly higher among foreign patients than among Turkish nationals (p<0.001). Treatment failure and reinfestation peaked in 2020. Scabies was present in 1.71% (257/14,989) of patients prior to the pandemic, compared to 3% (261/8,687) during the pandemic (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of scabies has increased gradually since 2019, with a marked rise observed in 2022, coinciding with the post-pandemic period. This may be linked to treatment resistance, poor compliance, limited healthcare access during the pandemic, and the lifting of restrictions thereafter. Reinfestation rates fell to their lowest level once oral ivermectin became available in early 2023. Public education and effective treatment strategies are essential for outbreak control.