ABSTRACT
Objectives: The aim of this study is to observe the clinical presentation and frequency of dengue as a cause of fever in our setup
Methods: This retrospective study comprising of clinically suspected dengue infection, admitted to Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad, during an epidemic from August 2006 to August 2007. Only adults with acute febrile illness were evaluated for clinical features of dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome
Results: Patients with acute febrile illness were evaluated during this study. Fifty [5%] patients presented with typical features of dengue fever. Age of the patients ranged between 13 and 70 years. All patients were males with mean age of 35 years. Only 20/50 [40%] were dengue proven while 30/50 [60%] were dengue suspected. Out of dengue proven, 18 patients had dengue fever and 2 had dengue hemorrhagic fever. Typical clinical features included chills and rigors in 16 [80%], myalgia in 14 [70%], vomiting in 12 [60%], headache in 10 [50%], rash in 5 [25%]. Unusual clinical features were pharygitis in 7 [35%] and bleeding manifestations in 5% of patients. Laboratory investigations showed leucopenia [<4.0x10[9]/L] in 80%, thrombocytopenia [<150x10[9]/L] in 90%, and serum ALT was elevated [>40 U/L] in 40% cases
Conclusions: Fever associated with chills and rigors, bodyaches, bone pain, headache, myalgia, rash, low platelet count, decreased total leukocyte count, raised serum ALT, and hemorrhagic manifestations are satisfactory and important parameters to screen the cases of suspected dengue virus infection; however the diagnosis cannot be confirmed unless supported by molecular studies or dengue specific IgM