Prepared and published by Update Software Ltd . All rights reserved. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary. Scabies is a common public health problem with an estimated global prevalence of 300 million.
Infestation can cause considerable discomfort and intense itching.
Severe adverse effects have been reported for some drugs used to treat scabies. The objective of this review is to assess the effects and toxicity of topical and systemic drug treatment for scabies. We also contacted international specialist centres and drug manufacturers. Tolerability and toxicity were sought in any study of humans taking any drug treatments for scabies. Two reviewers assessed trial quality and extracted data.