Impaired glucose tolerance in dengue fever: A case-control study

ABSTRACT

Background: Studies on dengue fever demonstrated that the dengue viral infection of pancreas is often associated with disease morbidity and complication. Aims and Objectives: The pancreas-pathogen interactions in dengue-infected persons were evaluated using endocrine deregulation as an investigation marker of complication. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care medical college and hospital of West Bengal, over 1 year and 4 months. Blood samples from 286 cases and 258 controls were collected on day 2. After plasma glucose determination, 44 cases and 39 controls were excluded as frank cases of diabetes mellitus. On day 6, fasting and 2 h postprandial plasma glucose estimation were done in 73 cases and 61 controls by glucose oxidase-peroxidase method using autoanalyzer. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. Results: The prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance was higher in cases on day 2 than on follow-up on day 6 (12.3% vs. 8%). There existed no statistical difference in terms of fasting plasma glucose between cases and control on day 2 and day 6 and postprandial (PP) plasma glucose on day 2. However, the PP values on day 6 in cases were significantly higher in cases in comparison to controls (P = 0.006). Among cases, day 6 values were higher than day 2 values (0.016). Conclusion: Dengue viral infection correlates with the involvement of the pancreas in terms of impaired tolerance to glucose which has implications for understanding disease pathogenesis in terms of developing chronic complications.