The signs and symptoms of which condition include severe itching and skin rashes on the hands, wrists, elbows, armpits, shoulder blades, and genitals?

• A. Scabies
• B. Ringworm
• C. Eczema
• D. Psoriasis

Answer: (A)

Recognizing scabies from the pattern of symptoms and where they appear. Scabies causes intense itching that’s often worse at night, along with a rash made up of small bumps, sometimes with burrow tracks. The sites described—hands, wrists, elbows, armpits, around the shoulder blades, and the genitals—are classic areas for mite activity because skin folds and moist areas harbor the infestation and scratching spreads the rash.

Other conditions have different telltale patterns. Ringworm tends to form ring-shaped, scaly patches with clear centers, usually on exposed areas rather than concentrated in skin folds or genital regions. Eczema shows dry, itchy patches in flexural areas but doesn’t typically present with the burrow-like lines or the genital involvement seen here. Psoriasis produces thick, silvery plaques and often involves elbows and knees, but the distribution and appearance differ from the itch-and-burrow pattern typical of scabies.

So the described combination of severe itching with a rash in these specific skin-fold areas strongly points to scabies.