Clinical spectrum of dengue fever in patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes and is a significant public health problem in many tropical and subtropical countries, including Bangladesh. The clinical spectrum of dengue fever can vary widely, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe and potentially life-threatening illness. In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical spectrum of dengue fever in patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. The aim of the study was to observe the clinical spectrum of dengue fever patients. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the department of medicine, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study duration was 7 months, from June 2022 to December 2022. During this period, a total of 65 cases of dengue fever cases admitted to the hospital for treatment were included in the study, who had a hospital stay of at least 3 days. Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.78 years, and the male: female ratio was 1:1.95. 86.15% of the participants had no comorbidities, while diabetes and hypertension were observed in 6.15% of patients each. Patients' mean temperature had been high at the first check-up and dropped slowly to normal levels throughout the following check-ups, but the mean platelet count had significantly dropped from the first check-up throughout the following check-ups, improving only at the 6th check-up. ≤20,000 platelet count was observed in 6.15% at the first check-up, 9.23% at the 2nd check-up, 15.38% at the 3rd, 5.41% at the 4th, 15% at the 5th, and 0% at the 6th check-up. The most common warning signs were a positive tourniquet test (21.54%), vomiting (16.92%), and abdominal pain (15.38%). Hospital stay duration was <1 week for 95.38% of participants, and during discharge, only 3 patients had minor complications, with 3.08% mortality. Conclusions: The study observed a higher prevalence of dengue among younger age groups, and females had a higher prevalence in the study. The regular-interval check-ups revealed that dengue severity progressed slowly, and did not become worse immediately after the infection, rather continued to progress adversely slowly throughout the check-ups. Hospital stay was <1 week for the majority of the participants, and minor mortality was observed in the study.