An atypical case of dengue haemorrhagic fever presenting as quadriparesis due to compressive myelopathy

Abstract

Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a serious presentation of dengue viral infection. Case reports of cerebral haemorrhage due to dengue are rare. The authors report a rare case of dengue haemorrhagic fever presenting with fever and acute onset progressive quadriparesis of the upper motor neuron type. Rare cases of quadriparesis in dengue fever have been reported in the literature due to myositis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myelitis and hypokalaemia. This case on investigations was found to have extramedullary compression due to haematoma in the cervical region as the cause of quadriparesis. Copyright 2011 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.