Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom, and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Head Lice.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com slash head lice

or in the dermatology section of the Zero Definals Pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

Head lice are parasites called

Predictulous Humanus Capitus, which cause infections of the scalp,

most commonly in school-aged children.

Head lice are commonly known as nits.

However, nits are the eggshells that have hatched or contain unviable embryos and not the lice

themselves. Head lice are spread by close contact with someone who has head lice, usually in school or

amongst family members. Transmission is by head-to-head contact or by sharing equipment such as combs

or towels.

Let's talk about the presentation.

Infestation with head lice causes an itchy scalp.

Often the nits or the eggs and the lice are visible when you examine the scalp of the child.

The diagnosis can be made based on the clinical appearance of the lice on the scalp and also the symptoms. Let's talk about management. Diometicone 4% lotion can be applied to

the hair and left to dry. This is left on for eight hours, for example overnight, then washed off.

This process is repeated seven days later to kill any head lice that have hatched since the

initial treatment, as the treatment won't kill lice that are still in the eggs.

Additionally, special fine combs can be used to systematically comb the knits and the lice out of the hair.

They can also be used for detection combing to check the success of the treatment.

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