CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH DENGUE FEVER: REPORT OF 48 PATIENTS IN 2010

Authors

  • Atiya Mahboob
  • Zafar Iqbal
  • Rabil Javed
  • Azeem Taj
  • Asma Munir
  • Munir Akhtar Saleemi

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever is a mosquito born viral disease. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas
of the world. Symptoms appear 3ˆ’14 days after the infective bite. Mortality can occur in dengue
hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome unless prompt and adequate management is provided.
Objective: To determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics along with outcome of
patients with dengue fever (DF) dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).
Design: Prospective, follow-up study. Place and duration of study: Department of Medicine, Shaikh
Zayed Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore from 3rd Oct 2010 to 20th Nov 2010. Patients
and Methods: Specific serological tests for dengue fever were done in all 60 patients admitted with
suspected diagnosis of DF, DHF and DSS. Forty-eight confirmed cases were evaluated for age, gender,
clinical features and outcome of the disease. Results: Forty-eight out of 60 patients had positive
serology for dengue fever. Male to female ratio was 1.09:1. Their ages ranged from 5 years to 68 years
with the mean of 31.5±15.2 years. DF, DHF and DSS were found in 71%, 19% and 10% cases
respectively. Common presentations were fever (100%), skin rash (83.33%), myalgia (69.75%),
restlessness (66.67%) and rigors and chills (66.67%). All, except one patient improved clinically. One
patient died on second day of admission. Conclusion: Dengue fever, a viral infection is re-emerging as
a serious public health problem. Fever, rash, myalgia with rigors and chills were common presenting
features.
Keywords: Dengue fever, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, dengue shock syndrome, skin rash, epidemic

References

Holmes EC, Twiddy SS. The origin, emergence and evolutionary

genetics of dengue virus. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 3

(2003) 19-28.

Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and

control, 2009. http://www.who.int/publications/2009/

ISBN9789241547871.eng.pdf

Gubler DJ. Epidemic dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever as a

public health, social and economic problem in the 21st century.

TRENDS in Microbiology 2002;10(2)

Ahmed S, Arif F, Yahya Y, Rehman A, Abbas K, Ashraf S, et al.

Dengue fever outbreak in Karachi 2006ˆ’A study profie and

outcome of chidren in 15 years of age. J Pak Med Assoc

;58(1):4ˆ’8.

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Dengue.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/dengue.

Ahmed S, Ali N, Ashraf S, Ilyas M, Tariq WU, Chotani RA.

Dengue fever outbreak: a clinical management experience. J Coll

Physicians Surg Pak 2008;18(1):8ˆ’12.

Gubler DJ. Dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever: history and

current status. Novartis Found Symp 2006; discussion

ˆ’22,71ˆ’3,251ˆ’3.

Akram DS, Ahmad S. Dengue Fever. Infect Dis J

;14(4):124ˆ’5.

Hayes CG, Baqar S, Ahmad T, Chowdhry MA, Reisen WK.

West Nile virus in Pakistan. Seroepidemiological studies in

Punjab Province. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1982;76:431ˆ’6.

World health organsiation. Dengue Hemorhagic Fever:

Diagnosis Treatment, Prevention and Control. 2nd edition

Geneva, World Health Organisation, 1997.

Khan E, Kisat M, Khan N, Nasir A, Ayub S, Hasan R.

Demographic and Clinical Features of Dengue Fever in Pakistan

from 2003-2007: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. PLoS

One 2010;5(9):e12505.

Kumar A, Rao CR, Pandit V, Shetty S, Bammigatti C,

Samarasinghe CM. Clinical Manifestations and Trend of Dengue

J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2010;22(4)

http://www.ayubmed.edu.pk/JAMC/PAST/22-4/Atiya.pdf 123

Cases Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Udupi District,

Karnataka. Indian J Community Med 2010;35(3):386-90.

Lee MS, Hwang KP, Chen TC, Lu PL, Chen TP. Clinical

characteristics of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever in a

medical center of southern Taiwan during the 2002 epidemic. J

Microbiol Immunol Infect 2006;39(2):121ˆ’9.

Wasay M, Channa R, Jumani M, Zafar A. Changing patterns and

outcome of Dengue infection; report from a tertiary care hospital

in Pakistan. J Pak Med Assoc 2008;58:488ˆ’9.

Itoda I, Masuda G, Suganuma A, Imamura A, Ajisawa A,

Yamada K, et al. Clinical features of 62 imported cases of

dengue fever in Japan. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2006;75(3):470ˆ’4.

Thomas EA, John M and Bhatia A. Cutaneous manifestation of

dengue viral infection in Punjab (North India). Int J Dermatol

;46(7):715ˆ’9.

Hanafusa S, Chanyasanha C, Sujirarat D, Khuankhunsathid I,

Yaguchi A, Suzuki T. Clinical features and differences between

child and adult dengue infections in Rayong Province, Southeast

Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health

;39(2):252ˆ’9.

Shah I, Deshpande GC, Tardeja PN. Outbreak of Dengue in

Mumbai and Predictive Markers of dengue Shock Syndrome. J

Trop Pediatr 2004;50:301-5.

Chandralekha, Gupta P, Trikha A. The north Indian dengue

outbreak 2006: a retrospective analysis of intensive care units

admissions in a tertiary care hospital. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg

;102:143-7.

http://www.refbooks.msf.org/MSF_Docs/En/Clinical_Guide/CG

_en.pdf

Melino S, Paci M. Progress for dengue virus diseases towards the

NS2B-NS3pro inhibition for a therapeutic-based Approach.

FEBS J 2007;274(12):2986ˆ’3002.

Downloads

Published

2010-12-01

How to Cite

Mahboob, A., Iqbal, Z., Javed, R., Taj, A., Munir, A., & Saleemi, M. A. (2010). CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH DENGUE FEVER: REPORT OF 48 PATIENTS IN 2010. Journal of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad, 22(4), 120–023. Retrieved from https://jamc.ayubmed.edu.pk/index.php/jamc/article/view/2728