What is Dengue?

Dengue is a mosquito-borne infectios disease caused by dengue virus.   It is common found in tropical and subtropical countries.  Thailand, absolutely, is endemic area of dengue.

Most patients with dengue infection are asymptomatic.  However, some patients have symptoms which varies from mild to severe which are dengue fever(DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever(DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), respectively.

Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults, but seldom causes death.  The symptoms vary according to the age of the patient.  Infants and young children may have a fever with rash.  Older children and adults may have either a mild fever or the classical incapacitating disease with abrupt onset and high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, and rash.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is more severe than dengue fever.  Thus,  patients with DHF are characterized by high fever, often with liver enlargement. Morever, they may have bleeding from their noses, gums and under their skins.

When there is massive bleeding which leads to volume depletion, patients become the most severe stage, dengue shock syndrome.  If  patients do not have quick and appropriate treatment, they die in 12-24 hours.

There is no specific treatment for dengue.  The key characteristics of dengue is the fluid leakage from blood vessel, so the appropriate treatment is fluid replacement and symptomatic treatment.  However, the protection is better than treatment.  Try to avoid from mosquito biting!!

(Reference : http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/)

(diagram reference : http://www.medtechzone.com/knowledge/dengue.php)