Family Nurse Practitioner Exam

Severe pruritus and a rash that appears at night are typical for which skin condition?

1. Psoriasis

2. Scabies

3. Eczema

4. Fungal infection

The correct answer is: Scabies

Severe pruritus and a rash that appears at night are characteristic of scabies. This condition is caused by the infestation of the skin by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. The itching associated with scabies tends to be particularly intense during the night due to the nocturnal behavior of the mites as they burrow into the skin. The rash may present as small red bumps or blisters, often located in areas like the web spaces between fingers, wrists, and the genital region, which are also common sites of the burrowed mites. In contrast, psoriasis is typically marked by silvery scales and is often associated with immune and hereditary factors, while eczema can cause itching and rash, but it usually does not follow the nocturnal pattern seen in scabies. Fungal infections often present with different characteristics, such as ring-shaped lesions, and do not typically cause the same type of intense itching at night. This helps highlight scabies as the condition that aligns most closely with the symptoms described.