Submenu
--------------

 

 

 

Table 1. Clinical syndromes caused by dengue viruses

Syndrome
Findings
Prognosis
Acute Undifferentiated Respiratory Disease Fever, coryza, pharyngeal inflammation with or without cough Good
Undifferentiated Fever Fever with or ithout symptoms of multiple systems involvement Good
Dengue Fever Fever, myaigia and/or arthragia and leucopenia with or without rash, headache, lymphadenopathy, biphasic fever, nausea, vomiting, positive tourniquet test, thromboytopenia, hepatomegaly Good
Heamorrhagic Fever without Shock* Undifferentiated fever for two or more days, followed by two or more of the following : petechiae, purpura, echymosis, epistaxis, positive tourniquet test, thrombocytopenia, hepatomegaly Good
Heamorrhagic Fever with Shock

Same as above except accompanied by shock (absence of systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure or pulse pressure 20 mmHg or less). aemoconcentration, hypoproteinaemia and/or severe gastro-intestinal bleeding

30 to 50 percent mortality

*Chikungunya virus also causes this syndrome.

Historical Background of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome
--------------
Prasert Thongchareon, M.D. and Sujarti Jatanasen, M.D.

Clinical records at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok have revealed the continuous annual occurrence of typical case histories of haemorrhagic fever since 1949. From 1950 to 1957 there were more than 1500 cases of high fever with haemorrhage, with circulatory failure in some cases (Figure 1). The peak incidence each year occurred during the rainy season from July to September. Although the case fatality rate was as high as 17 per cent, preliminary



Figure1. Acute haemorrhagic fever, case - death
record at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok,
Thailand, 1951 - 1958


investigations did not reveal any causative agent. The disease was called by Prof. Dr C.Netrasiri, a senior paediatrician, "Thai Haemorrhagic Fever" in contradistinction to the "Epidemic Korean Haemorrhagic Fever" reported from Korea during the same period of time(10).