DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK 2011: CLINICAL PROFILE OF CHILDREN PRESENTING AT MADINA TEACHING HOSPITAL FAISALABAD

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical features, disease severity, laboratory findings and outcome of serologically confirmed cases of Dengue fever in children during the recent outbreak in 2011. Methods: This case series was conducted at the department of Pediatrics in collaboration with the Pathology Department of Madina Teaching Hospital/University Medical College, Faisalabad, during the recent epidemic of Dengue fever in Pakistan i.e., August–October 2011. Clinically and serologically confirmed cases of Dengue fever were included in the study. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 19. Results: We encountered 35 cases of Dengue fever, 20 patients were male and 15 were females. Twenty nine patients belonged to rural area and 6 came from urban society. Mean age of the patients was 7 years±3.21SD. No specific pattern of fever could be identified. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom (51%). Only 2 patients complained of body aches and pains. Splenomegaly was present in 94% of cases. Majority of the patients were anemic with Hb <10g%.(p value=0.002) and platelet count ranged between 50, 000-100,000 cmm. Fifteen children had mild elevation of SGPT. Malarial parasite was found in 66% of cases (p value=0.063). All the patients improved over a period of 5-15 days. Conclusion: As there is variation in the clinical presentation of Dengue fever in children, continuous surveillance and further studies are required to identify the clinical features of Dengue fever in children of Pakistan. During Dengue fever outbreaks, the disease must also be suspected in patients having malaria.