Dengue fever (DF) is endemic throughout tropical and subtropical regions; however, it is not endemic in
Korea.
Imported infectious diseases should be suspected when encountering returned travelers with non-specific symptoms such as
fever,
rash, and
headache. Persistent
vomiting,
abdominal pain, hemorrhagic tendency, hepatic
enzyme abnormalities, and
proteinuria are
risk factors for the development of severe DF in a
patient with DF. Severe
hyperglycemia is also known to be related to poor
prognosis in acute illness, and with certain underlying
diseases that present with
hyperglycemia, such as diabetes, it is related to the progression of severe DF. We
report a DF case with severe
hyperglycemia in an
adolescent returning from
India. Pediatric DF cases reported in
Korea were also reviewed.