Assessment of clinical & laboratory parameters of patients presented with dengue fever at secondary health care centre

Introduction: Dengue is the most extensively spread mosquito-borne disease, transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes of Aedes species. It is caused by the dengue virus (DENV, 1–4 serotypes). This viral infection has a wide clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic disease to undifferentiated fever (or viral syndromes).High dengue disease burden and frequent outbreaks result in a serious drain on country’s economy and stress on the health systems. The present study was conducted at secondary health care hospital in Nanded, highlighting the various clinical, epidemiological and laboratory presentations of dengue fever patients. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study conducted on the patients admitted at Secondary health care hospital, Nanded, Maharashtra, India.120 patients suffering from dengue fever during an outbreak of the disease were enrolled. Data related to their clinical presentation and important laboratory parameters were collected and studied analytically. Results: 120 subjects confirmed dengue fever with either NS1 Antigen or IgM antibody positive with age more than 18 years were included in the study. In present study we found that 80% of patients had headache , 75% had body ache and 40% had typical retro-orbital pain. 60 patients (50%) had abdominal pain. 24 patients (20%) had associated hepatosplenomegaly and six patients (5%) had ascites associated with hepatosplenomegaly.. 18 patients (15%) had breathlessness, out of which 12 patients (10%) had pleural effusion. Twenty seven patients were diagnosed with DHF and three with DSS. . Six patients (5%) had expanded dengue syndrome (EDS). Conclusion: Therefore detailed analytical study of clinical presentations and laboratory parameters of this disease for early recognition, correct diagnosis, prompt intervention, and appropriate treatment is best method to solve this complex health issue.