Clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters in differentiating dengue from other acute febrile illnesses

Abstract

Background Dengue infection is one of the most common viral infections globally, with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, including hemorrhage and shock. Early diagnostic confirmation of dengue infection is essential, but some areas may not have the appropriate diagnostic tools while its clinical symptoms are similar to other diseases. We aim to determine some significant clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters in differentiating dengue from other causes of febrile. Results This study included 527 dengue patients and 268 control patients. Multivariate analysis showed older age (OR = 12.11; 95% 5.42–26.63, p < 0.001), the absence of diarrhea (OR = 0.12; 95% CI 0.06–0.25, p < 0.001), leukopenia (OR = 13.35; 95% CI 4.99–38.71, p < 0.001), thrombocytopenia (OR = 7.12; 95% CI 2.37–21.38, p < 0.001), and normal ESR (OR = 3.03; 95% CI 1.54–5.96, p = 0.001) are significant parameters in differentiating dengue with excellence (AUC value of 0.96) and good fit of the model (p value = 0.8). The cut-off is two significant variables with a sensitivity of 91.4% and specificity of 87.5%. Conclusions Two or more clinical signs can help clinicians differentiate dengue from other acute febrile illnesses.