Dengue fever (DF) is an Acute febrile viral disease frequently presented with headache, bone or joint and muscular pains, and rash. A significant percentage of DF patients develop a more severe form of disease, known as dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). In moderate DHF cases, all signs and symptoms abate after the fever subsides.
In severe cases, the patient's condition may suddenly deteriorate after a few days of fever; the temperature drops, followed by signs of circulatory failure, and the patient may rapidly go into a critical state of shock.
The Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) is characterized by bleeding that may appear as tiny spots of blood on the skin (petechiae) and larger patches of blood under the skin (ecchymoses). Minor injuries may cause bleeding . Shock may cause death within 12 to 24 hours. Patients can recover following appropriate medical treatment.
The main pathophysiology of DHF is the development of plasma leakage from the capillary, resulting in haemoconcentration, ascites, and pleural effusion that may lead to shock following defervescence of fever. Therefore, accurate prediction of the day of defervescence of fever is critical for clinician to decide on patient management strategy.
Because dengue is caused by a virus, there is no specific medicine or antibiotic to treat it, the only treatment is to treat the symptoms. For typical dengue, the treatment is purely concerned with relief of the symptoms Rest and fluid intake for adequate hydration is important.
