Jisha Jose Chakkalackal1, Veny John Akkarakaran2
BACKGROUND
Dengue Dengue Dengue is a majormajormajor healthhealthhealthhealth concernconcernconcern concernconcern prevalentprevalent prevalentprevalentprevalent prevalent mainly mainly mainly in tropical tropicaltropical tropicaltropical andand subsub -tropical tropicaltropical tropicaltropical countries.countries.countries. countries. countries.countries. OverOverOverOver the last lastlast decade,decade,decade,decade,decade,decade,decade, KeralaKeralaKeralaKeralaKeralaKerala has has seen severalseveralseveralseveralseveralseveralseveral epidemicsepidemicsepidemics epidemicsepidemics epidemics of this disease.disease.disease.disease.disease.disease.disease.disease. The The presentpresent presentpresentpresent studystudy study is to documentdocumentdocumentdocument document the clinicalclinical clinical clinicalclinical profileprofile profile of childrenchildren children children whowho sufferedsuffered suffered suffered suffered from from this potentiallypotentiallypotentially potentially potentially potentially fatal fatalfatal illness. illness. illness.illness.illness.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The studystudy study waswaswas undertaken undertakenundertakenundertaken undertakenundertakenundertakenundertaken as a hospital hospitalhospitalhospital hospital-basedbasedbasedbasedbased descriptivedescriptivedescriptivedescriptivedescriptive descriptive descriptivedescriptive studystudystudy study withwith prospectiveprospective prospectiveprospectiveprospectiveprospectiveprospective prospective datadatadatadata collection.collection.collection. collection.collection.collection. The aimaim waswaswas to assessassessassessassessassessassess the clinicalclinical clinical clinicalclinical featuresfeaturesfeaturesfeatures features of childrenchildren childrenchildren children withwith with confirmedconfirmedconfirmed confirmed confirmed denguedenguedenguedenguedengue feverfeverfeverfeverfever whowho werewerewere admittedadmittedadmitted admitted admitted to a tertiary tertiarytertiary tertiary carecarecare hospital hospitalhospitalhospital hospital duringduring during a 6-month month periodperiodperiod from from JulyJuly to December DecemberDecemberDecember DecemberDecember 2015.
RESULTS
Forty three children who were suspected to have dengue fever and had seropositivity were included. Majority were males, (52%). The most common presentation was fever (100%), with 33% presenting with fever of more than 6 days duration. This was followed by nausea and vomiting (67%), abdominal pain (43%), malaise (40%), headache (33%), myalgia (26%), and loose stools (23%). Haemorrhagic manifestations were rare (7%). 33% had dengue fever, 48% had dengue fever with warning signs and 19% had severe dengue. Complications seen were seizure, ascites, pleural effusion and myocarditis. There were no deaths reported.
CONCLUSION
Early Early diagnosisdiagnosis diagnosisdiagnosis diagnosisdiagnosis andand treatment treatmenttreatment treatmenttreatment areare the keyskeyskeyskeys to management management managementmanagementmanagementmanagementmanagement whilewhile communitycommunitycommunity community community measures measuresmeasuresmeasures measures need needneed to be addressedaddressedaddressedaddressed addressedaddressedaddressedaddressed in orderorder orderorder to stopstop stop the spreadspreadspread spreadspread of denguedenguedengue denguedengue fever feverfeverfever andandand reduce reducereduce reduce the increasing increasing increasingincreasingincreasing increasing burdenburden burdenburden of health healthhealth carecarecare duedue to denguedenguedengue denguedengue in Kerala.Kerala.Kerala.Kerala.Kerala. Kerala.
