Scabies Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Nov 18, 2022
  • Author: Catharine Lisa Kauffman, MD, FACP; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis of scabies include the following:

  • Drug reactions

  • Viral exanthem

  • Bullous pemphigoid

  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

  • Necrotizing vasculitis

  • B-cell lymphoma with monoclonal infiltrate

  • Dermatologic manifestations of renal disease

  • Dyshidrotic eczema

  • Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis

  • Erythroderma (generalized exfoliative dermatitis)

  • Folliculitis

  • Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (papular acrodermatitis of childhood)

  • Id reaction (autoeczematization)

  • Insect bites

  • Kyrle disease

  • Lice

  • Lichen planus

  • Neurotic excoriations

  • Papular urticaria

  • Parapsoriasis

  • Prurigo nodularis

  • Psoriasis, guttate

  • Psoriasis, pustular

  • Seabather's eruption

  • Syphilis

  • Urticaria, cholinergic

  • Vesicular palmoplantar eczema

  • Canine scabies

Conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis of pruritus with or without rash include the following:

  • Adverse cutaneous drug reaction [39]

  • Fiberglass dermatitis

  • Dermatographism

  • Bullous pemphigoid [40]

  • Dermatitis herpetiformis

  • Animal scabies

  • Delusions of parasitosis

  • Metabolic pruritus

  • Paraneoplastic pruritus

  • Mastocytosis [41]

Conditions consider in the differential diagnosis of nodular scabies include the following:

  • Urticaria pigmentosa (in young child)

  • Lymphoma

Conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis of crusted scabies include the following:

  • Seborrheic dermatitis

  • Langerhans cell histiocytosis

  • Psoriasis

  • Eczema

  • Ichthyosis

  • Erythroderma

Differential Diagnoses