RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Dengue: an update for clinicians working in non-endemic areas
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 82
OP 85
DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-1-82
VO 15
IS 1
A1 Sophie Yacoub
A1 Bridget Wills
YR 2015
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/1/82.abstract
AB Dengue is one of the most rapidly emerging viral infections globally, with 2.5 billion people now thought to live in dengue-endemic areas. In addition, reports of travel-related and autochthonous infections are increasing in non-endemic areas. Most patients with dengue experience a self-limiting febrile illness, but a proportion develop potentially life threatening complications around the time of fever clearance, including plasma leakage occasionally leading to shock, bleeding, and organ impairment. As dengue can present with non-specific symptoms of fever, headache and myalgias, the potential for misdiagnosis and inappropriate management by medical staff inexperienced with the disease is a concern. This short review will outline the latest World Health Organisation disease classification, potential complications, clinical assessment and management for clinicians working in non-endemic areas.