Publication:

Dengue and severe dengue fever: comparison of clinical characteristics, haematological and biochemical parameters in a tertiary care hospital

Background Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide. The number of new cases and death in Bangladesh increased in current years. The aim of the study was to detect the difference between demo-graphic data, warning signs, comorbidity, treatment pattern, and laboratory investigations in two different types of dengue fever during the pick season.

Methods This retrospective observational study was done in Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College from May to October 2021 from records of hospital on a total of 113 dengue NS1, IgG and IgM positive patients. The classical dengue fever (CDF) group consists of 76 and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) group consists of 37 patients. Socio-demographic data, co-morbidity (DM, HTN, Bronchial Asthma, COVID-19), ‘warning sign’ (abdominal tenderness, mucosal bleeding, lethargy, restlessness, persistent vomiting, clinical fluid accumulation, liver enlargement >2cm, increase HCT, decrease Platelet), treatment pattern, and laboratory findings were assembled, analyzed and compared between two groups.

Results Out of 113 patients, the majority were male. The mean age of patients was (26.0±15.8 and 27.7±17.2) in CDF and DHF. The mean duration of hospital stay was slightly longer in DHF (6.78±2.1 days) compared to CDF patients (6.13±1.45 days). The co-morbidities were similar between groups. Among warning signs, only mucosal bleeding was significantly more in DHF (37.8%) than in CDF patients (7.9%) (p <0.001). Similarly, decreased HCT and clinical fluid accumulation were significantly higher in the DHF group (p <0.001 and p=0.024).

Conclusions The frequency of CDF was higher than DHF, but the ‘warning sign’ and significant thrombocytopenia and leucopenia in DHF reflect the progression to dengue shock syndrome.