Clinico-laboratory findings of patients during dengue outbreak from a tertiary care hospital in Delhi

Abstract

There are outbreaks of dengue every year in India. They vary in the predominant serotype involved, clinical features and predominant laboratory findings. This study of the 2006 outbreak in Delhi highlights clinical features and laboratory parameters of dengue cases and compares the clinical features among the adult and paediatric age groups. The 2006 outbreak had higher bleeding manifestations and a greater involvement of the adult male population than in previous outbreaks. No correlation was observed between platelet count and different bleeding manifestations until they dropped <20,000 per microL. Few patients developed a florid picture before seroconversion, highlighting a greater stress on the haematological rather than immunological profile of such patients. Atypical symptoms, such as diarrhoea, menorrhagia and seizures were often the presenting complaints rather than the typical clinical features of dengue.