Thursday, July 24, 2008

Symptoms of Dengue Fever
Dengue virus infections can be asymptomatic or lead to a wide range of symptoms, even death with the most severe cases (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever).  The typical clinical presentation includes:

• Sudden onset of fever
• Severe headache, in particular behind the eyes
• Muscle and joint pain
• Can include nausea and vomiting
• Maculopapular rash starts 3-4 days after infection and spreads from the torso to the legs, arms and face
• Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia (low white blood cell count and low platelet count) are often seen

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever presentation includes the above and is diagnosed when:

• Minor or major bleeding
• Thrombocytopenia
• Evidence of plasma leakage from the capillaries into the tissues or body cavities
• Edema, pleural effusions, hemoconcentration
• A progressively decreasing platelet count and rising hematocrit from the continued plasma loss are present and signify the impending onset of dengue shock syndrome (DSS)