Timely detection, treatment key to beating dengue virus
Sanjay Kumar (58), who works in a bank in Faridabad, had to leave early from his work about two weeks ago, as he was running a temperature and had body aches. By evening, his fever had spiked and he decided to go to the neighbourhood physician’s clinic.
However, his wife, Sangeeta, insisted that he be tested for dengue.
“Just four days before he came down with fever, I had been diagnosed with dengue. He showed all the symptoms that I did. There are so many mosquitoes in our area, so I knew that it was possible that he had got it from me. He later tested positive for dengue,” she said.
The early diagnosis also meant that the family monitored his platelet count closely from the start.
“We knew that there was no need to take him to a hospital. We kept track of his platelet count, but I thought he would recover at home, just like me,” said Sangeeta.
Four days after he got the fever, Sanjay’s blood pressure started dropping. His platelet count also reduced to 28,000. The normal platelet count ranges between 1,50,000 and 45,000 in a healthy person.
“That’s when we decided to take him to a hospital,” said Sangeeta. He was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
On the third day after admission, he had internal bleeding and had to be given blood transfusions.
“He had started bleeding from his chest wall and the haemoglobin level had dropped from 13 to 6. Apart from the blood transfusion, we also had to operate and remove the blood clots from his chest. He is fine now and we are discharging him today,” said Dr Suranjit Chaterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. The family is relieved.
“Thanks to the timely treatment, he is fine now. It is a good thing that now everyone is aware about the disease, how it happens and how it can be prevented. I myself ensure that all buckets or anything that we keep water in is cleaned out once a week,” said Sangeeta.
FOUR DAYS AFTER HE GOT THE FEVER, SANJAY KUMAR’S BLOOD PRESSURE STARTED DROPPING