The atypical manifestations of dengue fever are no more a rare entity. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion and vigilance for atypical manifestations of dengue fever as lack of timely detection and management could be fatal. Impaired consciousness was the most ominous atypical manifestation of severe dengue infection.

Objective:To study the clinical profile and outcome of dengue fever in children at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry.Materials and Methods:All children (0-12 years of age) diagnosed and confirmed as dengue fever from August 2012 to January 2015 were reviewed retrospectively from hospital case records as per the revised World Health Organization guidelines for dengue fever. The diagnosis was confirmed by NS1 antigen-based ELISA test or dengue serology for IgM and IgG antibodies, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 statistical software. After collecting the data, all the variables were summarized by descriptive statistics.Results:Among the 261 confirmed cases of dengue fever non-severe and severe dengue infection was seen in 60.9% and 39.1%, respectively. The mean age (standard deviation) of the presentation was 6.9 + 3.3 years and male: female ratio was 1.2:1. The most common clinical manifestations were fever (94.6%), conjunctival congestion (89.6%), myalgia (81.9%), coryza (79.7%), headache (75.1%), palmar erythema (62.8%), and retro-orbital pain (51.3%). The common early warning signs at the time of admission were persistent vomiting (75.1%), liver enlargement (59.8%), cold and clammy extremities (45.2%), pain abdomen (31.0%), hypotension (29.5%), restlessness (26.4%), giddiness (23.0%), bleeding (19.9%), and oliguria (18.4%). The common manifestation of severe dengue infection was shock (39.1%), bleeding (19.9%), and multi-organ dysfunction (2.3%). The most common complications were liver dysfunction, acute respiratory distress syndrome, encephalopathy, pleural effusion, ascites, myocarditis, myositis, acute kidney injury, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Platelet count did not always correlate well with the severity of bleeding. There were six deaths (2.3%) and out of them four presented with impaired consciousness (66.6%). The common causes for poor outcome were multiorgan failure, encephalopathy, and fluid refractory shock.Conclusion:There has been a resurgence of dengue fever with a change in the pattern of presentation during the recent epidemics. Clinical vigilance and awareness regarding the changing epidemic pattern and timely detection of cases are vital to reduce mortality and morbidity due to severe dengue infection.

Objectives:To evaluate and analyze the clinical and laboratory parameters that were predictive of the development of shock in children with dengue fever.Subjects and Methods:Retrospective study carried out from August 2012 to July 2014 at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry.Results:Two hundred and fifty-four children were admitted with dengue fever and among them dengue fever without shock was present in 159 children (62.5%) and dengue fever with shock was present in 95 cases (37.4%). Various clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression between the two groups and a P value of <0.05 was taken as significant. The most common risk factors for shock on univariate analysis were headache, retro-orbital pain, palmar erythema, joint pain, facial flush, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, bleeding, giddiness, persistent vomiting, pleural effusion, ascites, hematocrit >20% with concomitant platelet count <50,000/mm3 on admission, deranged liver function tests, and gallbladder wall edema. On multivariate analysis, it was seen that in age >6 years, hepatomegaly, pain in the abdomen, and oliguria were the most common risk factors associated with shock in children with dengue fever. There were six deaths (2.4%) and out of them four presented with impaired consciousness (66.6%) at the time of admission.Conclusion:Age >6 years, hepatomegaly, abdomen pain, and oliguria were the most common risk factors for shock in children with dengue fever. Impaired consciousness at admission was the most ominous sign for mortality in dengue fever. Hence, these features should be identified early, monitored closely, and managed timely.