Dengue: Severe symptoms could be deadly
KUALA LUMPUR: Early detection of dengue, a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, is vital to avoid complications that could be deadly.
Emergency Physician at Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City, Dr Aaron Lai Kuo Huo said dengue patients who experience severe symptoms besides headache, generalised body aches, rashes and pain behind the eye, should seek immediate medical help.
“People should continuously monitor warning signs such as abdominal pain, persistent vomiting and/or constant diarrhea over three times a day, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, spontaneous bleeding from gums or nose and also black-coloured stool.
“It is imperative for the patients to seek medical attention immediately at the emergency department or general practitioner (GP) clinics depending on severity and accessibility,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said dengue fever often shows up with severe muscle and joint pain that can progress to alarming complications like dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS) which leads to internal bleeding, low platelet counts, plasma leakage and organ impairment.
Dr Aaron Lai said common diagnosis for dengue fever involves a combination of clinical assessment and laboratory tests, in which symptoms associated with dengue would be assessed, whereby there are three phases of dengue infection, namely the febrile phase, critical phase and recovery phase.
The infection is said to begin from the febrile phase with patients experiencing fever for three to five days, along with a progressive decrease in their white blood cell count, as well as symptoms such as fever, headache, joint and muscle pain.
The critical phase of a dengue patient could last between 48 to 72 hours, with patients experiencing circulatory disturbance and, in several cases, exhibiting serious complications such as internal bleeding, water retention in the lungs or stomach, low blood pressure, kidney and liver failure as well as coma, that can be fatal.
He said, patients will go through a recovery phase after the critical phase where dengue symptoms decrease and white blood cells return to normal count, adding that it was important for dengue patients to receive proper and timely medication to prevent further complications.
Dr Aaron Lai also advised the public to maintain cleanliness of surrounding areas, eliminate stagnant water sources, make use of mosquito repellent containing diethyltoluamide (DEET) and install mosquito nets or screens at home to protect and prevent the infection of dengue. — Bernama