Clinical Profiles of Dengue Fever Patients, During an Outbreak

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever (DF) has become a major public health concern globally. It is an infection caused by a virus of the family Flaviviridae, with five serotypes (DENV 1–5). Recent years have seen an increase in the preva­lence of the disease in Pakistan. The current study was carried out to evaluate the clinical features, laboratory find­ings and demographic information of the patients reported during the dengue outbreak in Multan of Pakistan in 2015. Methods: The hospital documentation-based data of confirmed DF cases were collected for the 6 months period from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Multan, Pakistan. The patients were labeled as confirmed on the basis of NS1 and IgM positivity by ELISA. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Overall, 361 patients were investigated (78.67% males and 21.33% females), with maximum infection rate in the age group of 18–35yr (50.41%). Mean hospital stay was 2.64d (SD 1.2), while mean fever duration was 5.27 (SD 1.57). Outbreak occurred during the months from Jul–Dec, while maximum patients were reported in Oct (287). No mortality was reported, and all patients recovered. Conclusion: Better management practices and timely reporting can reduce the risk factors associated with the dis­ease.

Keywords

• Dengue fever
• Outbreak
• Public health
• Vector-borne diseases