Post Dengue Reactive Thrombocytosis- A Case Report

Abstract

Dengue fever is common in tropical countries like India. Typically, dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever is characterised by high grade fever with arthralgia, myalgia and headache. Leukopaenia, thrombocytopaenia, and fluid leak is the hallmark of dengue which normalises with recovery. However, it is very uncommon in these patients to progress to severe thrombocytosis. Authors hereby report an unusual case of dengue followed by severe reactive thrombocytosis. A 13-year-old male child was admitted with complaints of fever and headache for the past two days and vomiting for one day. There was right hypochondrium tenderness. Investigations revealed leucopaenia (total leucocyte count was 3500/μL), platelets count was 150×103/µL, haematocrit was 34.5%, and dengue virus antigen detection (NS1) was positive. Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was negative. The patient was managed conservatively with intravenous fluid ringer lactate, acetaminophen, antiemetics and antacids. After 72 hours of discharge, patient came back with thrombocytosis. He was medicated on aspirin and the platelet count was monitored on a daily basis. The platelet count kept on increasing, and on 4th day it reached 1350×103/µL, but declined to normal (450×103/µL) over the next 10 days. Hence, aspirin was stopped. The patient was later discharged, and on follow-up the blood counts were normal.

Keywords

• aspirin
• thrombocytosis
• thrombopoietin