CAJ | 학술논문

Objective: To compare the differences of vomiting and diarrhoea frequency between dengue with warning signs and severe dengue, and to describe the sites of mucosal bleeding among dengue-infected patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study which included patients with laboratory–confirmed dengue infection along with clinical diagnosis of dengue. Exclusion criteria were patients with haematological disorders or any other malignancy. The vomiting and diarrhoea frequency on each day (Day 1 to Day 5) between dengue with warning signs and severe dengue were compared by using Mann-Whitney U test. The different sites of mucosal bleeding were stratified according to the diagnoses and displayed by bar charts. Results: Out of 1700 patients, 1003 (59.0%) had vomiting and 587 (34.5%) had diarrhoea. Both vomiting and diarrhoea frequency were not statistically different between dengue with warning signs and severe dengue from Day 1 to Day 5. Gum bleeding, hematemesis and menorrhagia were the only sites of mucosal bleeding seen in severe dengue for the first three days of illness. Hematemesis was seen only in severe dengue during the first day of illness but not in dengue with warning signs. Conclusions: The frequency of vomiting and diarrhoea could not differentiate severe dengue from dengue with warning signs. Nevertheless, it is important to have high index of suspicion for dengue when patients are presented with diarrhoea. The different sites of mucosal bleeding could possibly predict severe dengue, especially hematemesis on the first three days of illness.