Complicated Dengue Relatively Rare in Travelers With Dengue

TUESDAY, June 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Complicated dengue is relatively rare in travelers with dengue, but patients with dengue should be monitored for warning signs that may indicate progression, according to a study published online June 20 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Ralph Huits, M.D., Ph.D., from the IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital in Italy, and colleagues investigated the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes among international travelers with severe dengue or dengue with warning signs (complicated dengue) in a retrospective chart review and analysis.

The researchers found that 2 percent of 5,958 patients with dengue had complicated dengue. Eighty-six patients completed a supplemental questionnaire. Of these, 99 percent had warning signs, and 31 percent were classified as severe. Dengue was acquired most frequently in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia (31 and 24 percent, respectively). Tourism (46 percent) and visiting friends and relatives (32 percent) were frequent reasons for travel. Overall, 25 percent of the patients had comorbidities. Ninety-one percent of the patients were hospitalized, and one died of non-dengue-related illnesses. Thrombocytopenia, elevated aminotransferase, bleeding, and plasma leakage were common laboratory findings and signs. Ophthalmologic pathology, severe liver disease, myocarditis, and neurologic symptoms were reported among severe cases.

"Travelers should be encouraged to adhere to mosquito bite precautions during travel and be advised to seek care at the onset of any clinical symptoms of dengue," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to industry.

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