Why Dengue Patients Should Not Ignore Abdominal Pain, Discomfort

New Delhi: At least nine patients have been admitted to Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) due to acute liver failure caused by dengue fever in the last three months.

At Holy Family hospital, doctors say, nearly 30% of dengue patients who require ICU admission have liver-related complications. Similar cases of liver dysfunction in dengue patients have been reported in other hospitals also.

“Dengue is a systemic illness. It affects all organs. But the liver is among the most affected organs. We have seen at least nine dengue patients coming with acute liver failure in the last three months,” Dr S K Sarin, vice-chancellor of ILBS, said. He added that management of such patients isn’t easy as other organs such as the kidney are also involved.

According to Dr Sumit Ray, head of critical care at Holy Family hospital, liver dysfunction in dengue patients can be caused directly due to cell damage and indirectly due to capillary leak, which is a known complication of the viral illness. “In dengue, people focus mostly on fall in platelet count. But, the real warning sign is abdominal discomfort or pain. It is reflective of capillary leak – escape of blood plasma through minute blood vessels called the capillaries – which can damage the organs. Timely medical intervention in such cases can help reduce complications and, therefore, save lives,” he added.

This year, as on November 6, Delhi has recorded 2,708 cases and nine deaths due dengue which is the highest since 2017.

Public health experts say the overall number of dengue cases is high and that has led to a proportionate increase in severe cases also. Also, the experts say, there is a predominance of type II strain of the dengue virus.

Dengue virus strains are of four types. Type I causes classic dengue fever, type II leads to haemorrhagic fever with shock, dengue III causes fever without shock and dengue IV causes fever without shock or profound shock.

People suffering from chronic kidney disease, heart diseases and pregnant women among others are at higher risk to develop complications if they get the disease. They should take extra precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites, says Dr Ashutosh Biswas, professor of medicine at AIIMS.

Dr Rommel Tickoo, director, internal medicine at Max Saket said dengue cases may start reducing once the winter sets in. “People have to be alert and take all precautions to prevent mosquito bite. If there is persistent fever, it is better to get tested and see a doctor so the symptoms are managed in time,” he added.