Spectrum of Liver Injury in Dengue Fever: Cause or Effect of Severe Dengue?

Abstract

The study aimed to determine if deranged liver function tests (LFTs) can predict severe dengue or mortality. It included 135 dengue patients, with a mean age of 30.9 ± 12.09 years. Among the patients, 82 (60.7%) were under 30 years of age. Nearly half of the patients (64, 47. 4%) had some degree of liver damage indicated by deranged LFTs, 27 (42.1%) had elevated alanine transaminase (ALT), 7 (10.9%) had increased bilirubin, and 30 (46.9%) had high values of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). However, only elevated ALP levels were positively correlated with mortality (Pearson's R = 0.282, p = <0.05). The mean bilirubin was 11.711 ± 8.602 umol/l, and the mean values of ALT and ALP were 107 ± 240 and 113.571 ± 59.91 IU/L, respectively, which were higher than the normal. The study findings suggested that hepatic derangement is a common occurrence in dengue patients, and increased ALP levels could be an indicator of a higher risk of mortality. These findings can help improve patient care by identifying the potential risk factors for mortality. Key Words: Dengue, Liver function tests, Alanine transaminase, Alkaline phosphatase.