Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Prognostic Factors for Severe Dengue in Thai Children
3
Issued Date
2025-03-01
Resource Type
ISSN
00029637
eISSN
14761645
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-86000595742
Pubmed ID
39719114
Journal Title
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume
112
Issue
3
Start Page
642
End Page
647
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol.112 No.3 (2025) , 642-647
Suggested Citation
Setrkraising K., Kittitrakul C. Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Prognostic Factors for Severe Dengue in Thai Children. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol.112 No.3 (2025) , 642-647. 647. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.24-0434 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/106812
Title
Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Prognostic Factors for Severe Dengue in Thai Children
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Author's Affiliation
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Abstract
Dengue infection poses a significant public health challenge in tropical countries. In Thailand, children ages 5–14 years are among the groups with the highest incidence of dengue. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations in children with dengue infection and assess prognostic factors for severe dengue. We reviewed the medical records of children ages 0–14 years who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of dengue infection between 2019 and 2022 at Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Dengue severity was classified according to the 2009 WHO dengue guidelines. Clinical manifestations and laboratory data were analyzed for their association with severe dengue using a logistic regression model. The study included 556 dengue cases, with 48 cases (8.6%) classified as severe dengue. The mean age (SD) of patients was 9.9 (3.7) years. The most common GI symptoms were anorexia (91.7%) and vomiting (57.6%) followed by abdominal pain (38.3%), and diarrhea (33.3%). GI bleeding was found in 3.2% of patients. Hepatomegaly and ascites were found in 20.9% and 2.9% of patients, respectively. Acute liver failure and acalculous cholecystitis were found in 0.4% and 0.2% of patients, respectively. Children younger than 5 years of age exhibited a lower prevalence of vomiting and abdominal pain compared with older children, making the diagnosis of dengue more challenging. Vomiting, ascites, aspartate aminotransferase .450 U/L, and serum albumin,3.5 g/dL were significantly associated with severe dengue infection. Children with dengue infection presenting any of these factors should be closely monitored for severe dengue.