Lice may be of several types: body lice, head lice and pubic lice. These lice are species specific, meaning that they are not transmitted from pets or other animals. The human lice may be transmitted from other humans or through clothes and bedding that have lice eggs or nits.
Symptoms of Lice
All types of lice will cause extreme itchiness. The head lice will be located in the head area, the pubic lice or crabs will be cause itchiness in the pubic area, while the body lice will be felt all over the body.
When to Call a Doctor
If you notice any symptoms of lice or you think you may have been in contact with a person with lice, you should get some over the counter treatment; you don’t necessarily need to visit the doctor. You may develop allergies to the over the counter medication, but this happens in rare cases; if this happens you need to visit a doctor.
Ideally, boiling the clothes and bedding should solve the problem, but if you have different skin irritations caused by lice bites, you will also require additional ointments or medication.
Also, if the lice symptoms persist even after applying the treatment, you should seek medical help. The lice may also cause typhus, relapsing fever and trench fever, so if you experience symptoms such as fever, nausea or chills, you should contact a doctor.
If you have pubic lice, you should also get some tests for common sexually transmitted diseases as the lice may transmit diseases.
