Dermatovenerologist
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Alina Rashidovna
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Pediculosis is an infection of the human body by blood-sucking parasites that prefer to settle on the surface of the skin and hair. As a result of the activation of their vital functions and bites, the patient experiences pain, itching and irritation on the skin. Pediculosis occurs more often in children. This may be due to insufficient maturity of the child's immune system, which is unable to resist attacks from parasites. In addition, the disease often results from non-compliance with personal hygiene rules in preschool institutions.
Description
Depending on their habitat, lice are classified as follows:
- head insects often inhabit the scalp. Their timely detection can be difficult due to the length and thickness of the hair;
- pubic lice can be found in the genital area, on the eyebrows and in the armpits, where insects find favorable conditions for life and reproduction;
- body lice live on clothing in contact with the body. They feed on human blood, but do not transfer to him.
All three species share a similar structure and individual morphological characteristics. The length of insects is usually from 0.5 mm to 0.5 cm. Lice are attached to the skin and hair thanks to three pairs of legs. In the presence of favorable conditions and lack of treatment, they quickly multiply and spread throughout the body, causing inconvenience due to their vital activity and numerous bites. More often, pediculosis is diagnosed in workers in large groups, where insects easily crawl to a new habitat. The main method of transmission of pediculosis is through household contact, so a sharp surge in cases of the disease should be regarded as an unsatisfactory sanitary condition of the premises.
Infection with lice from animals is impossible: lice prefer to settle only on the human body and cannot feed on the blood of other organisms. Immediately after the appearance of the first individuals, a short asymptomatic period begins. Within 7-8 days, it can be extremely difficult to detect signs of head lice. An indirect indication of infection is severe itching in the temporal and occipital parts of the head, as well as pinpoint redness and ulcers that form at the site of bites. Often, pediculosis acquires signs of folliculitis, in which the hair follicles lose their viability and hair loss begins. The skin acquires a pronounced rough structure, and the bite sites darken, resembling pigment spots.
Active reproduction of lice greatly simplifies the detection of pathogens. Numerous eggs - nits - are attached to the hair. Their whitish color and drop-shaped shape stand out sharply on the surface of the hair. One individual can lay up to 10 eggs per day, the larvae of which become sexually mature within 14 days from the moment of birth. Nits resemble dandruff, but differ from it by tightly attaching to the hair due to the adhesive liquid secreted by the mother. It is not possible to wash off the eggs even with the help of hygiene procedures, because... the substance does not dissolve in water and detergents.
The largest number of cases of scabies and head lice are detected in children's groups and in places where there are constant crowds of people. Close bodily contact without basic hygiene rules leads to a sharp increase in cases of the disease. Visiting hospitals, schools, holiday camps, sanatoriums, hairdressers or places of detention may well lead to lice infestation. If a person does not take care of himself, rarely washes clothes and often shares personal accessories with others, the risk of lice increases significantly. Given the blood-sucking nature of these insects and the likelihood of transmitting serious diseases, it becomes clear that it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor when the first signs of lice are detected.
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Head lice
Head lice are grayish-yellow or transparent insects, their size reaches 4 mm. Head lice always parasitize mainly on the temples and on the back of the head, and from there they penetrate to other areas of the head. Over the course of a month, lice can lay ten nits (that’s what lice eggs are called). After 8-10 days, lice larvae emerge from the nit. After ten to fifteen days, an adult louse grows from the larva, capable of fully laying eggs. A louse can live up to 38 days. Head lice nits are white balls that lice attach to the base of the hair. As a rule, it is the identification of nits that indicates the presence of pediculosis in a patient. Lice eggs are attached in such a way that it is impossible to remove them while washing your hair. It is also very difficult to remove them from the hair. When infected with head lice, the patient scratches the skin vigorously, which leads to the onset of the inflammatory process and, as a consequence, to the manifestation of a secondary infection.
Causes of head lice in adults and children
Close contact between people in the presence of at least one carrier of lice can cause infection of most or the entire team. Insect densities are increasing rapidly and the threat of disease spread is increasing exponentially. Having the ability to crawl onto clothing and household items, lice easily spread throughout the room. Therefore, among the main causes of damage are:
- team density;
- failure to comply with personal hygiene rules and measures to prevent head lice;
- ignoring the primary signs of the disease.
A significant proportion of the sick are families with a low standard of living. Timely detection of insects here can be complicated by the small size of lice. However, the attention of adults to children's health allows us to identify the problem at the earliest stages. Parents should be alert to the appearance of redness and pustules on the child’s body, and complaints of itchy scalp. Most diagnosed cases are due to head lice. Pubic insects spread primarily sexually, so they are more often found on the body of adults. If in a family a child sleeps in the same bed with his parents, the probability of developing pubic lice is close to 100%.
Prevention of head lice
Pediculosis is a very unpleasant disease. No one would be happy with such a situation when you are talking with a person and catch yourself in surprise and gaze at the hair on which lice are walking. For this reason, precautions must be taken. The most important thing in preventing head lice is maintaining personal hygiene; bedding and underwear should be clean, since lice do not like cleanliness. It is necessary to iron clothes thoroughly at the seams, since this is where lice lay their eggs. Don't give your comb to anyone.
It turns out that parasites really don’t like the smell of lavender and tea tree. So if you apply this liquid to the back of your head and behind your ears, it will help you avoid getting lice. If you still have lice, you need to disinfect towels, hats, bed linen, clothes, soft toys, and then do not use them for two weeks. Without a person, the louse will live for another week, but if there were eggs, the lice will come out in a week, so two weeks is enough to be sure that the lice have died, since the parasites cannot live without feeding on human blood. In order to verify the presence or absence of lice, you can comb your head with a special comb over a light surface, after which everything will become clear.
Author of the article:
Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich |
Doctor of Medical Sciences therapist Education: Moscow Medical Institute named after. I. M. Sechenov, specialty - “General Medicine” in 1991, in 1993 “Occupational diseases”, in 1996 “Therapy”. Our authors
Risk factors
The vast majority of cases of head lice are detected in preschool children, as well as in people with an asocial lifestyle and those who practice promiscuity. The high risk of infection, combined with poor hygiene, contributes to the rapid spread of lice, turning a person into a walking carrier of dangerous pathogens. Favorable factors for the development of the disease are decreased immunity, general weakness of the body due to poor quality nutrition, bad habits and frequent stress.
When to see a doctor
For additional consultations and examinations, you can contact the doctors of JSC "Medicine" (clinic of Academician Roitberg) in the central district of Moscow at the address: 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskaya Lane, 10 (metro stations Mayakovskaya, Belorusskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Tverskaya, Chekhovskaya) . It is recommended to start with a visit to a dermatologist, who, if necessary, will involve a trichologist and psychologist in the examination and diagnosis. Experienced specialists will offer treatment for pediculosis, taking into account the age and characteristics of the patient’s body, as well as the degree of its damage. During the appointment, you will additionally be provided with comprehensive recommendations on how to treat head lice and avoid re-infection.
List of sources
- Lysenko A.Ya., Vladimova M.G., Kondrashin AB, Majori J.. Clinical parasitology. Under the general editorship of Lysenko A.Ya. Management. Geneva, WHO: 2002.
- Delyagin V.M., Rumyantsev A.G., Shugurina E.G. Scabies and pediculosis: old problems in new times // Medical business. 2007. No. 4.
- Lopatkina Yu. V. Modern antiparasitic therapy for pediculosis // Clinical dermatology and venereology. - 2010. - No. 2.
- Clinical recommendations. Dermatovenereology / ed. A. A. Kubanova. M.: DEX-Press, 2007.
Treatment of pediculosis
The intensive reproduction process and short period of reaching sexual maturity contribute to the rapid spread of insects throughout the scalp. The simultaneous presence of adults, larvae and nits forces the use of drugs that affect lice regardless of their “age”. The most effective remedies against pediculosis pathogens include:
- the use of topical formulations - shampoos, sprays and lotions for hair treatment;
- combing with a fine-toothed comb to mechanically remove insects and nits;
- the use of means to heal bite sites and prevent their suppuration;
- cutting hair to create an easier-to-maintain hairstyle.
An important measure to combat lice is thorough washing and disinfection of clothing and bedding.
Important: if one of the pupils in a kindergarten group is found to have lice, other parents should be notified to more thoroughly monitor possible infestation. The use of self-prepared shampoos and preparations for the treatment and prevention of head lice is not recommended due to their low effectiveness and possible danger to the child’s health.
Favorable conditions for the spread of lice
As already mentioned, lice can be picked up in different places: from a kindergarten to a swimming pool and a hairdresser. Of course, lice infection most often occurs in kindergartens, schools, sports clubs and various clubs, even in children's hospitals. However, it is kindergartens and schools that suffer the most from this scourge. You should also not forget about the places where adults can become infected with head lice, namely in dormitories, barracks, at home from their children, and so on.
It takes very little for a completely healthy person to get lice – most often, contact with a sick person is enough. At risk are:
- small children, as they often play together without maintaining distance, which is an ideal condition for the spread of parasites;
- persons called up for military service living in barracks;
- living in hotels and hostels, since not all of these establishments carry out proper disinfection of bed linen, towels and other items.
The risk of contracting lice increases even more during the cold season, when people spend a lot of time indoors at a minimum distance from each other.
In light of this, favorable conditions for the spread of parasites are unsanitary conditions, crowded conditions and the presence of large numbers of people in small spaces.
If an infestation with just a few lice occurs, a person may not even feel it at first until new parasites hatch. When there are too many of them, the patient will begin to experience severe itching and scratch the scalp until wounds appear, which can lead to infection.
Remember, just because you've been cured of head lice doesn't mean you can't get it again unless the person's personal belongings have been disinfected and other carriers have been isolated and treated.
Preventive measures
The list of recommendations for the prevention of head lice in adult patients includes the following rules:
- strict adherence to personal hygiene provisions;
- systematic monitoring of the health of the child and older family members;
- periodic treatment of wardrobe items and bed linen against pediculosis at high temperatures;
- isolation of sick family members;
- regular preventive use of anti-lice products;
- refusal of casual sex.
To protect your child from lice infestation, you must:
- carefully monitor his health;
- teach basic hygiene rules, prohibit using other people’s personal belongings;
- take care of a neat hairstyle;
- Carry out regular inspections for head lice in order to promptly detect the causative agents of the disease.
If the diagnosis is beyond doubt, you should immediately begin a course of treatment. This will help you get rid of unpleasant symptoms and avoid infecting others.
Diagnostics
Detecting the disease is not difficult: you just need to examine the hair and scalp. This must be done regularly, as it will be easier to cure it at the initial stage. The main sign confirming the diagnosis is the presence of nits at the base of the hair. They resemble dandruff, but unlike it, they are difficult to remove. And if you crush a nit between your nails, you will hear a click.
Sometimes differential diagnosis is required - if the disease is accompanied by dermatitis, seborrhea, pyoderma or eczema. For this purpose tests are taken. You can also examine the scalp under a Wood's lamp. If there are nits, they will glow.
