Could peak proteinuria determine whether patient with dengue fever develop dengue hemorrhagic/dengue shock syndrome? - A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Abstract Background Worldwide there is a need to develop simple effective predictors that can distinguish whether a patient will progress from dengue fever (DF) to life threatening dengue hemorrhagic (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). We explored whether proteinuria could be used as such a marker. Methods We included patients admitted to hospital with suspected dengue fever. Starting at enrollment until discharge, each patient's daily spot urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) was measured. We classified those with confirmed dengue infection as DF or DHF (including DSS) based on WHO criteria. Peak and day of onset of proteinuria was compared between both groups. Results Compared to those with DF, patients with DHF had significantly higher median peak proteinuria levels (0.56 versus 0.08 g/day; p Conclusions Peak UPCR could potentially predict DHF in patients with dengue requiring close monitoring and treatment.