Itchy skin is one of the most well-known and widespread skin diseases. At the same time, its appearance is characteristic not only in people suffering from dermatological diseases, but also in the majority of completely healthy patients. Night pruritus- this is an extremely unpleasant skin irritation, which is accompanied by the constant need for mechanical action on the affected areas of the skin.

Such irritation has an extremely negative effect on the overall health of the human body and often causes, in addition to insomnia, depression and apathy. The patient often wakes up due to the obsession with scratching the diseased area and thereby provokes its inflammation.

Causes

This kind of skin analyzer, similar in appearance to other sensations of the skin (pain, touch, etc.), but unlike them, causes a constant need to stimulate the source of inflammation. Rubbing, scratching, kneading and other impact on the area of ​​the skin affected by itching leads to short-term instant satisfaction and calmness. On the physical level, this can be explained by an exacerbation of the sensitivity of nerve endings at the site of the disease and a stronger impulse that they give to the brain with a direct physical impact on them, creating the illusion of calm.

In fact, the feeling of severe nocturnal skin itching is replaced by a more palpable feeling of pain for the human body, by causing severe damage to itself in the process of scratching. In the case when itching continues for a very long time, an incorrect attitude to the standard state of rest of the skin begins to form in the human brain and constant irritation becomes a standard phenomenon.

The reasons why the night may appear are very diverse. This can be caused both by mechanical effects on the skin (for example, prolonged friction against a hard material), and thermal (with a burn or skin burn), as well as in some cases, chemical effects (for example, allergies and other reactions). Another cause of nocturnal skin itching can be various afflictions (fleas, etc.). In any of these cases, to eliminate this unpleasant effect, it is enough to simply get rid of the cause of its occurrence.

You should not try to indulge pathological impulses, physically influence the place of itching. In the long term, this will only lead to a short-term sedation and an even greater effect in scratching the affected area.

Nocturnal skin itching can also be caused by dermatological infectious diseases (scabies, dermatitis, psoriasis and ulcers, some forms of lichen, etc.). In any of the cases of occurrence, you should not endure this problem yourself. Timely appeal to and correctly prescribed treatment will save you from the unpleasant consequences of skin itching.

Answers on questions

Absolutely anyone can get scabies, but today this disease is more common among those who lead a not very prosperous lifestyle. Scabies is transmitted from person to person quite quickly, and a simple handshake can be the cause. Scabies has similar symptoms to other dermatological diseases, so you can not immediately determine this particular disease.

There is an opinion that scabies is carried by pets, but, as studies have confirmed, the scabies mite does not spread to animals. This disease has been known to mankind for a very long time, about 2500 years ago. At that time, scabies was considered a separate group of skin diseases. What causes the disease was not known until the 17th century, when it was already possible to examine the scabies mite with a microscope. The full development of the disease, its symptoms and causes were described in the 19th century by dermatologist Ferdinand Gebra.

The main forms of the disease

The most common is the typical form of scabies, which is characterized by the presence of a rash and moves on the skin, as well as itching. The length of the scabies mite moves per day can reach 8 mm and most often they are very noticeable in those parts of the body where the skin is very thin: the sides of the fingers, between the fingers, in the lower abdomen, the circumference of the nipples of the mammary glands. The typical form of scabies appears as red nodules that may coalesce to form larger lesions. Over time, the nodules develop into vesicles that open and form pustules.

Scabies can also have a complicated form, when the underlying disease is complicated by an infection that enters open pustules, or dermatitis due to scratching of the rash. In the case when a person has normal immunity, then the manifestations of scabies can be single, and only itching can occur in the evening. This form is called clean scabies.

Nodular scabies has a few skin nodules that look like lumps and on the surface of which you can see the moves of the mite. Rashes are localized in those places where there is very thin skin. Pseudo-scabies is caused by mites that usually live on animals. But since such mites do not multiply on humans, this form of the disease does not require treatment.

"Favorite" sites for the location of scabies mites - between the fingers and on their lateral surfaces

Norwegian scabies is one of the rarest and most severe forms of the disease. Its causes can be: severely reduced immunity, for example, in patients with AIDS, tuberculosis, with exhaustion; when a person cannot scratch due to paralysis; hereditary predisposition; there is no sensation of itching due to disturbed nerve sensitivity of the skin. Hair, nails, facial skin can be affected by this form of scabies. Symptoms are rough and thickened skin, crusts on the skin up to 2 cm thick, which look like a shell. This scabies is highly contagious, as up to a million mites can be on the human body.

Symptoms of scabies

In order to see a doctor in time, you need to know how scabies manifests itself. The most striking and typical symptom of scabies is itching of the skin. During the day, it is more muffled, and in the evening it intensifies, and the more ticks become, the stronger the itching will be. Depending on the sensitivity of the body to the scabies mite, the signs of scabies in humans may vary slightly. First of all, itching is a reaction not only to the tick itself, but also to the products of its vital activity.

Rashes are also important signs of scabies: nodules, papules, serous crusts, passages that the scabies mite makes under the skin. Such passages are located on the border of the granular and stratum corneum of the skin. If treatment is not carried out in time, then old moves can be observed that look like keratinized cracks. Numerous pustules and concomitant infection are also characteristic of scabies.

In almost all cases of scabies, characteristic rashes will be located between and on the lateral surfaces of the fingers, in the wrists, genitals in men, mammary glands in women, on the feet, flexor folds of the forearms, popliteal cavities, on the hips, buttocks.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease

Given the main symptoms of the disease, it will not be difficult to diagnose it. Human complaints about the main manifestations of scabies (itching, rash) and laboratory tests to identify moves and the scabies mite itself are taken into account. If the rashes are clearly visible, then you can consider the causative agent of the disease under a magnifying glass. The tick can thus be seen as a thickening at the end of the stroke itself. For diagnosis, special laboratory tests are used that allow you to identify the tick at various stages of its maturation: larvae, eggs, adults. Sometimes positive results for scabies are also given by scrapings from under the patient's nails. To determine where the passage is located, you can apply an iodine solution to the skin. In some cases, ink is used. Detection of burrows of scabies mites fully confirms the diagnosis.

The main principles of the treatment of scabies include: simultaneous treatment of all those infected with scabies from one focus; be sure to trim the nails, as there may be tick eggs under them; disinfection of bed linen and clothes, then ironing with a hot iron; processing of all clothing that came into contact with the skin; a complex form of scabies - Norwegian is treated only in a hospital; the entire course of treatment should be monitored by a doctor; adhere to prescribed doses of medications; it is necessary to apply the medicine with your hands, because it is on these zones that scabies mites are mainly located; it is recommended to use drugs during the period of activity of the pathogen, that is, in the evening.

For effective treatment scabies today there are several drugs, and which one to use, only the doctor should decide. Self-medication can only harm your health and aggravate the situation. The most common medicines for the treatment of scabies are: benzyl benzoate, spregal, crotamione, pyrethrins, linane, sulfuric ointment, ivermetin.

Benzyl benzoate is most often prescribed for scabies, primarily due to the fact that the drug has a rather low cost. The drug is produced in the form of an emulsion and sometimes an ointment. This drug is well and quickly absorbed, and no traces remain on the linen. One treatment will require approximately 50 ml of benzyl benzoate. The total volume of the emulsion sold in the pharmacy is 150 ml. Before treatment, it is necessary to wash in the shower with soap to loosen the epidermis and so that the medicine penetrates the skin more easily. The emulsion is rubbed on the whole body, except for the face and head. It is necessary to repeat the treatment with benzyl benzoate on the fourth day, because in three days new individuals may appear from the eggs laid by ticks.

Spregal is another remedy for scabies and is a French-made aerosol. This medicine kills scabies mites due to the fact that it contains the poisons of piperonyl butoxide and esdepaplethrin. Despite the high price, spregal is often prescribed for the treatment of this disease. Unlike benzyl benzoate, the aerosol has no specific odor and does not leave marks on the linen. For effective exposure, many doctors recommend re-treatment with spregal after three days.

Permethrin is available in several different forms: spray, ointment, lotion, cream. This medicine is the most popular for the treatment of scabies in Western countries. To completely kill scabies mites, you need to carry out two treatments with permethrin. Sulfur ointment can also be used, but only for adults. It has a specific unpleasant odor and, due to the vaseline in the composition, is poorly absorbed into the skin, so today treatment with sulfuric scabies ointment is practically not used.

After treatment of body parts with special preparations, itching may persist for some time, but this will be more likely an allergic reaction, and to eliminate discomfort prescribe antiallergic drugs. After completing the full course medical measures after three days, you need to be examined by a doctor, you need to repeat it several more times within a month and a half.

If the treatment of scabies was incorrect or not prescribed at all, then a person may have problems with the emotional state due to severe itching, which causes discomfort and interferes with a normal, fulfilling life. Complications such as pyoderma, dermatitis, eczema may occur. There is also the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases. The infection freely penetrates through wounds on the genitals. Such complications do not allow the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. It is important to seek medical attention at the first symptoms of scabies.

Herbal baths will help in the treatment of the disease

Scabies in children. A disease such as scabies in children can have its own characteristics, and the symptoms of scabies in adults and children are slightly different. For example, in babies up to a year old, it looks like urticaria, and the overall clinical picture is similar to weeping eczema. Also, such “favorite” areas of the location of scabies mites between the fingers and on their lateral surfaces in children under three years of age are rarely affected. In some cases, the nail plate is damaged, which leads to its thickening and loosening. In children, unlike adults, the face and scalp can be affected, and for this reason, these parts of the body must be treated with special anti-scabies preparations. All medicines for children should have half the concentration or half the dose is prescribed.

Treatment of scabies with folk remedies and prevention

To treat scabies at home, you can try methods traditional medicine. The most common are the following recipes for alternative methods of treatment: mix celandine juice with petroleum jelly and treat the affected areas; birch tar is widely used to treat scabies, which is applied to the skin and washed off after three hours; it is also recommended to make a decoction of rue leaves and lubricate the whole body with it; butter mixed with turpentine also helps; not only from scabies, but also from many other skin diseases, a bath with a decoction of the root of elecampane helps.

One of the important points in the prevention of such a disease as scabies is the timely detection and elimination of foci of the disease. All people who may be infected from this focus should undergo treatment at the same time. This is especially true for kindergartens, when a sick child needs to be isolated, and the rest of the children should be checked for the presence of scabies mites.

A person diagnosed with scabies must have a separate bed linen and towel. Personal items are also disinfected. Those of them that cannot be boiled are treated with a special preparation "A-Par". Wet cleaning in the room where the patient is located should be carried out daily using a soda solution. It is important in the prevention of this disease and compliance with all the rules of personal hygiene and cleanliness skills. Due to the fact that scabies can be transmitted sexually, casual sexual contact should be avoided.

Video

Itching is an unpleasant sensation, even if it bothers you during the day. At night, it irritates and interferes with sleep. As a result, working capacity is disturbed, irritability grows and emotional breakdowns are possible. Why does itchy skin at night?

Causes of itchy skin at night

Itching may be permanent or appear intermittently. It can be located on some parts of the body or completely cover the entire body.
Itching that affects certain parts of the body is caused by the following factors:

• Dry skin. Such itching is associated with the cold season and depends on the temperature.
• The occurrence of irritation that affects the upper layers of the skin, especially with hemorrhoids.
• Allergic reactions. Itching that responds to a specific stimulus.
• An insect bite that contributes to irritation and swelling.
• Gynecological problems. In women, the discharge can irritate the mucous membrane of the genital organs and cause itching.

Irritation that appears at night can lead not only to abrasions and wounds, but also to mental trauma.
Itching that occurs at night can be associated with diseases:
1. diabetes;
2. jaundice and other liver diseases;
3. tumor formations;
4. anemia, polycythemia.

Treatment to stop itching at night

After examining the body, the patient may be prescribed antihistamines, ointments and creams that will help cool the skin.
In severe forms of itching, the patient may be prescribed: Pregabalin, Gabapentin.
In the treatment of night itching, the following recommendations should be applied:

• compliance with the diet with the exception of salty, spicy foods, coffee;
• limiting interaction with hot water;
• exclusion of contact with detergents and cleaning agents.

Eliminate itching at night It is possible by establishing the exact cause and prescribing an effective treatment. » Characteristics of itching

Characteristics of itching

In contrast to the sensation of pain, which can be characterized by many signs (localization, irradiation, provoking factors), which make it quite easy to assume the correct diagnosis, for example, angina pectoris, renal colic, it is much more difficult to describe the sensation of itching. However, some signs of pruritus may be useful in the differential diagnosis. It is important to determine the intensity, localization and nature of itching, as well as its other properties, such as the time of occurrence and provoking factors.

Limited itching of the skin of any one anatomical region, as a rule, is caused by local causes, the presence of widespread and symmetrical itching suggests an internal cause. Widespread itching of only open areas of the skin reliably indicates the presence of exogenous provoking factors. In some patients suffering from severe itching, for example, in patients with atopic dermatitis, paroxysmal itching is observed, which begins with a limited area, and then, in the process of obsessive rubbing and scratching, becomes more widespread and intense, then unbearable and in a few minutes can completely disappear. exhaust the patient emotionally and physically.

The intensity of itching can be different, from mild to very pronounced. Patients may consciously or unconsciously exaggerate or underestimate the intensity of itching. Describing their feelings, emotionally unbalanced patients in most cases rate it as "painful", "unbearable" or "irresistible". Anxiety increases the emotional response to itching. In such cases, the following questions help to obtain more objective information about the intensity of itching:

• do you wake up at night with itching?
• does it interfere with sleep?
• can you forget about itching during the daytime?
• Does itching interfere with daily activities?

From a practical point of view, itching that disturbs sleep can be regarded as severe. By analogy with pain, intense itching disrupts the quality of human life, affecting the emotional state, performance, attention, causing sleep disturbance up to insomnia. Occupying all the thoughts of the patient, itching leads to a neurotic state, depression, and in some cases can lead the patient to suicide. Key to determining the cause of pruritus is often also given by the time of occurrence (nightly, daily, monthly, seasonal), the duration of the pruritus, and the nature of the precipitating factors.

More often itching occurs or worsens at night, this is especially true for scabies and widespread eczema, in which overwhelming itching begins to bother patients immediately after they go to bed, and often prevents falling asleep. Psychogenic itching in some cases also becomes more painful in the evening and at night, when the patient's attention is not distracted by any activities. Parasympathetic activity predominates at night nervous system, vasodilation occurs, which increases itching. If the patient complains of constant itching, then psychoneurosis usually occurs. Intense itching due to organic causes is usually paroxysmal and often causes patients to wake up during the night. Itching of the anus, caused by pinworms, disturbs the sleep of patients between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning. Itching caused by bed bug bites also usually occurs in the middle of the night.

Seasonal (periodic) itching occurs in the summer as an initial symptom of photodermatosis. Winter itching is characterized by "light" intervals in summer and a tendency to recur in the cold season. Winter itching is usually associated with dry skin, more often occurs in individuals with symptoms of vegetative dystonia. As a funny case, the appearance of winter itching in the summer in patients who have been working in a refrigerator for a long time is described.

Attacks of itching, regardless of its underlying cause, but especially psychogenic, can often be associated with stress, emotional stress, anxiety. In some cases, itching increases with mental or physical exertion. Itching in nervous and mental diseases is provoked by even minimal skin irritations. With polycythemia vera and some other diseases, itching occurs when the skin comes into contact with water, especially hot water. With atopy, itching can provoke the wearing of woolen clothing.

The nature of itching can be constant, recurrent, intermittent. The sensation of itching may be "deep" or "superficial", may have a tint of burning, tingling (for example, burning itching, especially of the scalp, is characteristic of dermatitis herpetiformis).

The course of itching is different: from a single acute attack to prolonged, months and years of ongoing suffering. It is necessary to clarify what symptoms or events coincided with the onset of the disease, whether there were similar episodes in the past, whether the feeling increases gradually or occurs suddenly, how long it lasts, and whether the intensity of itching increases or decreases over time.

The sensation of itching must be distinguished from sensations similar to it. Pain, tactile and temperature dysesthesias (perversions of sensitivity) in some patients may be erroneously interpreted as itching. Feelings of tingling, numbness of the skin and crawling on the body of insects (formication) can be observed in various diseases, such as polyneuritis, drug addiction and schizophrenia. When these symptoms or sensations of burning (freezing) of the skin occur alone or in combination with itching, neurogenic and psychogenic causes must first be suspected.

T.V. Krasnoselsky, E.A. Arabian, K.N. monks

Nocturnal skin itching is a very common phenomenon that causes a lot of unpleasant sensations that lead to a complete disruption of sleep, nervous excitability and irritability, as well as damage to the skin.

This is a non-self-limiting disease. It occurs in conjunction with diseases that affect the integrity of the skin; in violation of the central nervous system or improper functioning of the internal organs of a person.

Causes of itching

In medicine, there are many factors that provoke nocturnal skin itching. According to the form of manifestation, it is divided into acute and chronic; at the place of occurrence - generalized (itching is present throughout the body) and localized (the presence of itching in certain areas of the skin).

Generalized itching may appear in the presence of factors such as:

• failure of the endocrine system;
• hepatic diseases;
• hereditary predisposition;
• the formation of benign and malignant tumors;
• the presence of blood diseases.

This kind of causes of nighttime skin itching unsettles many people, causes a lot of inconvenience and changes their usual life.

cholestasis

There is itching that appears without a rash on the skin. Such itching includes the disease cholestasis - a decrease in the flow of bile into the duodenum as a result of a malfunction in the excretion.

With the disease, ultrastructural changes may occur. During the advanced form of cholestasis, histological modifications occur in the form of:

• the presence of bile clots;
• the disappearance of the villi from the vacation membrane;
• damage to the cell membrane;
• bilirubinostasis;
• the presence of biliary infarctions, sclerosis.

Forms of the disease

The main forms of cholestasis include:

• functional - a decrease in anions and the level of bile current;
• morphological - accumulation of bile components in hepatocytes;
• clinical - retention of components in the blood.

Causes

The main factors in the development of cholestasis include two groups of disorders:

1. Violations of the formation of bile:

• bacterial infections;
• viral liver damage;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• alcohol effect on the liver;
• liver poisoning with drug treatment;
• liver damage by viruses;
• cholestasis during pregnancy.

2. Violation of the flow of bile:

• Tuberculosis disease;
• Caroli disease;
• primary cirrhosis;
• Lymphogranulomatosis and others.

Signs of the disease

Symptomatic manifestations of cholestasis are based on the following factors:

• lack of bile in the intestines;
• excess intake into the blood and bile;
• the degree of exposure to bile components.

The signs of the disease are:

• weakness and fatigue;
• liver enlargement;
• the presence of colorless feces;
• voluminous and loose stools;
• deficiency of vitamin K, E, D;
• change in the functional work of the cardiovascular system;
• nausea and mouth;
• stomach pain and more.

streptoderma

A skin disease that affects most of the skin and is accompanied by itching is called streptoderma. Purulent formations appear on the body, which subsequently turn into red-pink spots.

Causes

The structure of conditionally pathogenic microflora includes streptococci, which are formed on the skin. The disease occurs only when there are violations of the immune system (for example, after suffering serious infectious diseases) or in the presence of small combed wounds on the body. Also, streptoderma can be transmitted from person to person. Most often, children are susceptible to this disease, since their immunity is not yet fully formed.

There are several varieties of streptoderma:

• superficial;
• deep;
• acute;
• chronic.

Symptoms

Signs of streptoderma include pink spots that are prone to peeling. At the beginning of the disease, abscesses form, which subsequently burst and leave scaly wounds.

As a rule, there are no significant manifestations during the course of the disease, however, there may be slight itching, dry skin, fever and a significant increase in lymph nodes.

Spots in most cases are formed in the face, legs, arms, chest. After healing, skin dipigmentation persists for some time, which disappears over time.

Scabies

Scabies rash is localized to a greater extent on the arms, chest, knee bends, penis in men and on the back. Under a microscope, zigzag passages of light gray mites can be observed on the surface of the skin.

Symptoms

Scabies is a contagious disease that is transmitted through direct contact with a sick person through bodily contact. In addition, there is a risk of infection during sexual contact.

The main manifestation of scabies is itching that increases at night. This is due to the fact that female ticks are activated at night and begin to lay eggs.

The average incubation period for scabies lasts up to ten days. After tick bites, small knots are formed, which, when combed, turn into bloody crusts - papules. The latter, in turn, turn into blisters or a bullous rash.

Scabies treatment

To completely get rid of such a disease, it is necessary to destroy the scabies mite and prevent the deposition of eggs.

Scabies is quickly cured by applying special ointments to the affected areas.

These drugs are divided into four groups:

1. Synthetic balsamic products - benzyl benzoate.
2. Sulfur - sulfuric ointment.
3. Insecticides - creolin, lysol.
4. Folk remedies - kerosene, fuel oil, oil.

Apply such ointments should be within three days. This is enough to completely destroy the scabies mite.