Abstract
We examined the efficacy and safety of ivermectin for the treatment of scabies in the elderly. Sixteen patients (average age ; 82.8 years) were treated with ivermectin (200 μg/kg) twice with an interval of one week. The patients were evaluated three weeks after the first treatment. Eleven of the 13 patients had no clinical or microscopic evidence of scabies. No abnormal laboratory findings were observed. As adverse events, mild and transient diarrhea and toxicoderma arose in two different patients. No recurrence was observed four months after the treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that ivermectin is effective and safe for the treatment of elderly scabies patients.