Sunday, February 22, 2009

Dengue Fever Research - Signs and Symtoms - Lim Yueh hwa

This is manifested by a sudden onset of severe headache, muscle and joint pains (myalgias and arthralgias—severe pain gives it the name break-bone fever or bonecrusher disease), fever, and rash.[5] The dengue rash is characteristically bright red petechiae and usually appears first on the lower limbs and the chest; in some patients, it spreads to cover most of the body. There may also be gastritis with some combination of associatedabdominal painnauseavomiting, or diarrhea.

Some cases develop much milder symptoms which can be misdiagnosed as influenza or other viral infection when no rash is present. Thus travelers from tropical areas may pass on dengue in their home countries inadvertently, having not been properly diagnosed at the height of their illness. Patients with dengue can pass on the infection only through mosquitoes or blood products and only while they are still febrile.

The classic dengue fever lasts about six to seven days, with a smaller peak of fever at the trailing end of the disease (the so-called biphasic pattern). Clinically, the platelet count will drop until the patient's temperature is normal.

Cases of DHF also show higher fever, variable haemorrhagic phenomena, thrombocytopenia, and haemoconcentration. A small proportion of cases lead to dengue shock syndrome (DSS) which has a high mortality rate.

DHF combined with a cirrhotic liver has been suspected in rapid development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma . Given the DEN virus is related to the Hepatitis C virus this is an avenue for further research as HCC is the top 5 leading Cancer cause of death outside of Europe and North America . Normally HCC does not normally occur in a cirrhotic liver for 10+ years after the cessation of the poisioning agent. DHF patients can develop HCC within one year of cessation of abuse.

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