ABSTRACT
Background: Dengue fever and its complications have become a nightmare for common people in Asian countries including Pakistan. Besides environmental factors responsible for its transmission, there are many host factors too involved in its rapid spread
Objective: To assess risk factors for dengue fever among patients reporting at Liaquat University Hospital [LUH] Hyderabad. Study Design, Setting and Study duration: Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at LUH, Hyderabad for six months i.e. from 15[th] May 2013 to 15[th] November 2013
Methods: 481 patients were registered through convenient sampling after informed verbal consent. Patients' demographic features, clinical presentations and laboratory reports were collected on a preformed proforma
Results: The reporting rate for dengue fever was 18.5% and the mean age of presentation was 28.5 +/- 3.5 years. Males were in majority [72.55%] 3 and the average days of admission were 4.5 days; low platelets count [< 50,000/mm[3]] was recorded in 72% of cases; however 11.64% patients presented with hemorrhagic tendency. Age was strongly associated with thrombocytopenia [p=0.04] and with occurrence of hemorrhage [p=0.03] in both genders; this association was more evident among males [p=0.01]. However among uncomplicated cases no association was evident between gender and length of stay in [p=0.35]
Conclusions: The alarmingly higher reporting rate of dengue fever necessitates contextual preventive interventions. As younger age and male gender are the major risk factors for this disease; therefore age-specific and gender-specific preventive strategies against this disease are recommended