Success of Topical Treatment in Geriatric Scabies Patients: A Prospective Observational Study

Introduction: Numerous factors affecting the success of scabies treatment have been identified. Few studies exist evaluating problems with the topical treatment of scabies in the geriatric population. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the factors contributing to treatment failure in elderly patients with scabies. Methods: This prospective observational study included 97 patients aged 60 years or older diagnosed with scabies. Treatment outcomes were assessed one month after treatment initiation. Demographic data and treatment adherence errors were compared between the successful and unsuccessful treatment groups. Results: In the study, 48 patients were evaluated in the successful treatment group and 49 in the unsuccessful treatment group. No differences were observed between the successful and unsuccessful groups in age, gender distribution, or treatment agent used (p=0.541, p=0.473, p=0.866). Treatment failure was significantly higher among individuals with application errors (p<0.001). Appropriate dosage use was strongly associated with treatment success (p<0.001). The success rate was higher among patients who repeated the application (p<0.001). The number of people living at home was significantly higher in the treatment failure group (p<0.001). The success rate was significantly higher among those who read the treatment brochure, while the failure rate increased significantly among those who did not read it (p<0.001). Conclusion: According to our study results, failure to use the appropriate dosage in the geriatric group, failure to repeat the application, failure to read brochures containing treatment guidelines, and failure to apply contact treatment have reduced treatment success. These findings may contribute to the theory of pseudo-resistance in topical therapy.