A lice infestation or pediculosis occurs quite frequently in Germany. Especially children in kindergarten have clustered lice on the head and in the hair.
What is a lice infestation (pediculosis)?
But there are other ways to be infested by lice. Thus, the pubic louse or the felt louse, the already mentioned head louse and the body louse or clothes louse plague humans. The lice infestation is not a direct disease, but an insect-triggered itching, redness or even small wounds. As a rule, it is not a health hazard, but depending on pre-existing conditions or peculiarities, it can nevertheless entail some risks. Despite increasingly better protective measures, lice infestation is still observed.
Causes
During lice infestation, the human body is infested by head lice or crabs. In another form, clothes lice attach themselves to clothing and from there transfer to human skin. The lice infestation is thus harmless, but also unpleasant. Only when the lice infestation extends to existing wounds, pus spots or bleeding into the organism, it can lead to serious health damage. This is made all the worse by the fact that the insects themselves are considered disease vectors and existing ailments can thus be exacerbated by the lice infestation. Nevertheless, these are basically symptoms on the skin that usually appear in childhood. By taking good precautions, lice infestation can often be avoided.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
The lice infestation usually manifests itself with symptoms only a few days after the lice have infested the person. There is itching, which becomes particularly strong at night. The itching is caused by the sucking and excreting activities of the lice. In addition, redness, wheals and rashes can often be seen. These can occur on the head and sometimes extend to the neck or behind the ears. They occur mainly where the skin is well supplied with blood and thin. This includes the temples as well. Overall, the wheals and redness occur more frequently in affected children than in adults. The scratching sometimes leads to eczema. This skin damage can be long-lasting. Occasionally, bleeding occurs due to the scratching. There is usually increased dandruff on the scalp as a result of the defense reactions against the lice. The lice themselves usually show themselves by laying eggs between the hairs. These are often visible to the naked eye as nits. The head lice themselves can also be easily recognized. Contrary to widespread concern, head lice cannot transmit diseases and therefore do not cause any other symptoms. Only the clothes louse can lead to the symptoms of spotted fever.
Diagnosis and course
As a rule, lice infestation is registered where people spend a long time in nature, on the ground or in trees as well as the undergrowth. Because the insects are mainly in the sand as well as on plants. Especially playing children, who once scuffle on the ground and climb into the foliage of the tree, are therefore in the multitude affected by the lice infestation. But also adults make the lice infestation sometimes to create. This is precisely because the small animals can be transmitted by humans or pets. Thus already a dog can provide for the fact that the carpet registers a lice infestation, from which gradually also the inhabitants are afflicted. The lice infestation is usually manifested by an unpleasant itch on the scalp. Likewise, other regions of the body can be affected by the lice infestation. Here, too, there would be redness, sometimes small swellings and the strong urge to scratch. The symptoms can usually be registered within a few hours of the lice infestation and therefore allow relatively quick intervention. Provided that the insects do not enter the organism via open wounds, lice infestation is not associated with any health risks. However, if pathogens are actually transported into the human body by these little animals, the lice infestation can even be fatal. Such a course is registered with the lice infestation meanwhile, however, in vanishingly small numbers.
Complications
A lice infestation can cause various complications, especially if it remains undetected.Very directly, a lice infestation causes sleep disturbances and feelings of shame, which are often associated with social stigmatization. The psychological stress caused by a chronic lice infestation can lead to the development of anxiety and depressive thoughts, especially in children and adolescents. In addition, lice can transmit various pathogens and cause so-called rickettsial diseases. These include, for example, spotted fever, fifth-day fever and lice relapsing fever. Chronic lice infestation can also cause skin damage, allergies, and acute eczema such as lice eczema. Bacterial superinfection and subsequent lymph node swelling or impetignization with painful itching and abscess formation may occur. Head lice can lead to matting of the hair (sissy plait) and, in the long run, to the development of vagant skin. In the case of chronic infestation, this can lead to hair loss and inflammation of the scalp, which is usually accompanied by further complications. Side effects and allergies may occur during medical treatment of lice. For example, the prescribed drugs often cause skin irritation, headaches or breathing difficulties. Rarely, drowsiness and inflammation of the respiratory tract may also occur.
When should you see a doctor?
If there are signs of a lice infestation, it is essential to see a doctor. Parents who notice itching, scratches on the scalp or other evidence of lice in their child are best to speak directly with a medical professional. If the child’s school or daycare center issues a “lice warning,” the child should also be examined right away. If there are signs of infestation, it is best to consult the pediatrician. Children under the age of three should always be taken to a doctor if lice are suspected. If there are a lot of lice on the scalp or if there is inflammation, it is best to call the doctor immediately. A light infestation can often be detected and treated by oneself – a visit to the doctor is then not absolutely necessary. However, if independent treatment of the lice infestation is unsuccessful, the child should be taken to the pediatrician. A few days after treatment has begun, the sufferer must be examined again to ensure that the lice infestation has completely receded.
Treatment and therapy
In previous generations, people usually knew no other way to help themselves against lice infestation than to rigorously shear off the scalp hair of the affected person. This was to take away the warm home of the insects. However, it is now known that lice infestation can also extend to the skin, so simply shortening the hair does not always make sense. Improved methods currently also make it possible to reduce lice infestation by means of hair shampoos, ointments, lotions or sprays. On the one hand, this kills the animals, but on the other hand, it alleviates the suffering. It is also known that home remedies such as a vinegar–water solution can be used to drive the insects off the body and out of clothing, as they cannot tolerate the strong acid. Only when symptoms persist for several days should the lice infestation be presented to a doctor. Faster action should be taken if fever, pain in the limbs, stomach and intestinal disorders and periods of weakness are directly associated with the lice infestation. However, since this does not usually occur, therapy over a few days with the above medications is useful to control the lice infestation.
Outlook and prognosis
Infestation of lice is well treatable nowadays. Therefore, the prognosis for this disease is favorable. Often, self-help measures are already sufficient to achieve freedom from symptoms. In addition to physical hygiene and washing the textiles used, special shampoos can be used to help manage the lice infestation. For the quickest possible elimination of lice, action should be taken immediately upon becoming aware of the infestation. Care should be taken to prevent further spread and multiplication of the lice. All people with whom the affected person has been in physical contact should also be checked for infestation of lice. Often, therefore, the members of the household living together must take the same measures to eliminate the lice infestation to prevent reinfestation. It is especially important to wash the worn clothing, sleeping utensils, pillows or soft toys to prevent the lice from reproducing.Physical contact with other people should be kept to a minimum during the period of treatment. Likewise, the establishment of physical proximity to other people who have been infested with lice should be refrained from. The changes in skin appearance that occur usually disappear without further complications after the lice infestation has ended.
Prevention
Lice infestation can be prevented by avoiding direct contact between the skin and sand and plants. However, since petting pets can equally lead to lice infestation, dogs and cats should also be cleaned accordingly. The same applies to clothing. In addition, unclean-looking hair salons are to be avoided, in order not to get the lice infestation transmitted.
Aftercare
To what extent aftercare is necessary depends largely on when the infestation was discovered. Depending on the extent, appropriate measures result, which demand a high degree of discipline from those affected. Bed linen should be changed, and it is also advisable to wash the comforters as well as nightwear at hot temperatures to ensure that the lice are killed in the process. If pets are present, they must not enter the sleeping area under any circumstances. In addition, there are a number of medications that are only effective for a short time. To avoid discomfort, those affected should take them acutely. As a rule, lice infestation does not require extensive aftercare, insofar as the original source is avoided and the replacement of hair combs or brushes is refrained from.
What you can do yourself
In the event of a lice infestation, there are a few measures that affected individuals can take themselves. However, they are complementary to a therapy that forces the mechanical and chemical control of lice. For crabs and head lice, adults can comb them out with a lice comb more often than recommended by a doctor. It is conceivable to do without chemical agents in return. However, combing must be done very thoroughly at least twice a week for four weeks. Then, if no more lice are found for more than two weeks, this measure is considered successful. In the case of crabs, shaving the affected areas also makes it much easier to combat them. Since children often do not take the procedure of lice control lightly, it is advisable for parents to distract them during the lengthy procedure. Possibilities here include stories, CDs, etc. The child should also be informed about the lice infestation and how to combat it. Various oils (e.g. coconut oil and lavender oil) are said to have a combating effect. However, this has not been proven, so caution is advised here. Vinegar water, on the other hand, has no effect, but at best damages the already attacked scalp. The best way to combat clothes lice is to boil the affected clothing and towels, freeze them or pack them airtight for several weeks. Medication and chemical agents can be avoided.