Clinical profile and outcome in children with dengue fever

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever (DF) has emerged as a serious health threat not only in India but worldwide. Mangalore, a coastal city of Karnataka has seen an alarming rise in dengue fever (DF) over the last decade. So, it is of utmost importance to study the clinical profile and treatment outcome in children suffering from dengue fever.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical profiles and treatment outcome.  The case files of 52 children admitted with dengue fever over last 5 years (2009-2014) in Pediatric department in a tertiary care centre located in Mangalore, Karnataka were included in this study. The data was collected from the Medical Records department. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 16.0.Results: Children aged 4-12 years are more affected (59.6%). Fever was present in all the cases. 63.5% of the cases had petechiae and other bleeding manifestations were seen in 9.6% of the cases. Poor intake was seen in all the cases. Abdominal pain, maculopapular rash, respiratory distress, retro-orbital pain, convulsions were present in 96.2%,50%,15.4%,78.8% and 1.9% respectively. Hypotension in 86.5%, hepatomegaly in 65.4% and vomiting was seen in 100% of cases. ICU admission was done for 41 patients (78.8%). However, there was no mortality seen.Conclusions: Early diagnosis and prompt management will help in preventing serious morbidity and mortality in pediatric age group.