Оn the issue of diagnosis of Norwegian scabies on the example of a clinical case

Norwegian scabies is a rare form of a fairly common contagious skin disease. It is characterized by difficulties in diagnosis due to the absence of a typical clinical picture and characteristic complaints of the patient. Also, the diagnosis of Norwegian scabies is often complicated by the presence of concomitant diseases, such as ichthyosis and mental retardation. As a result of impaired cognitive functions in patients, it is quite problematic to collect complaints and anamnesis. An incorrect diagnosis leads to the appointment of ineffective therapy and, as a result, to further progression of the disease, accompanied by the addition of secondary infection and deterioration of the general condition of the patient’s body.

Training of doctors of various specialties (dermatovenerologists, therapists and general practitioners) in the skills of differential diagnosis of Norwegian scabies is relevant due to the increase in cases of this disease in various groups of people, mainly related to boarding houses and long-stay hospitals.

In this article, the authors provide an overview of the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of a rare form of scabies ― Norwegian scabies, and highlight the difficulties of differential diagnosis of this dermatosis. A clinical case of Norwegian scabies in a 52-year-old woman suffering from ichthyosis and mental retardation on the background of Down syndrome is described.