What body systems are most affected by the dengue virus?
As the infected monocytes and macrophages travel through the lymphatic system, the dengue virus spreads throughout the body. During its journey, the dengue virus infects more cells, including those in the lymph nodes and bone marrow, macrophages in both the spleen and liver, and monocytes in the blood.
How does dengue affect the organ system?
This is called severe dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Severe dengue happens when your blood vessels become damaged and leaky. And the number of clot-forming cells (platelets) in your bloodstream drops. This can lead to shock, internal bleeding, organ failure and even death.
How does dengue fever affect the circulatory system?
Dengue is transmitted via the bite of mosquitoes that carry the viruses. It is an unpleasant disease that can cause high fever, severe headache, and joint and muscle pain. But in some people, it can also cause small blood vessels to leak, which can lead to failure of the circulatory system, shock, and death.
Does dengue affect the respiratory system?
Variable frequencies of respiratory symptoms in patients with dengue have been reported, but these symptoms are generally mild and mainly affect the upper airway. Thoracic involvement is common, in the form of pleural effusion as part of polyserositis found in DHF.
What is dengue hemorrhagic fever?
DHF is primarily a disease of children under the age of 15 years, although it may also occur in adults (1, 32). It is characterized by sudden onset of fever, which usually lasts for 2 to 7 days, and a variety of nonspecific signs and symptoms.
How does dengue fever affect the heart?
Dengue virus infection affects the heart structurally and functionally. Clinical manifestations of cardiac complications secondary to dengue virus infection vary from self-limiting arrhythmias to severe myocardial infarction, leading to hypotension, pulmonary edema, and cardiogenic shock.
What are the symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever?
Symptoms include frontal headache, retro-orbital pain, myalgias, arthralgias, hemorrhagic manifestations, rash, and low white blood cell count. The patient also may complain of anorexia and nausea.
What causes plasma leakage in dengue?
The critical feature of severe dengue is plasma leakage. Plasma leakage is caused by increased capillary permeability and may manifest as hemoconcentration, as well as pleural effusion and ascites.
What is the WBC count in dengue?
Dengue fever is characterized by leucopenia (White Blood Cells (WBC) < 5000 cells/mm3), thrombocytopenia (< 150,000 cells/mm3), rising haematocrit (5–10%) and there should be no evidence of plasma leakage [10].
What is the platelets in blood?
(PLAYT-let) A tiny, disc-shaped piece of cell that is found in the blood and spleen. Platelets are pieces of very large cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes. They help form blood clots to slow or stop bleeding and to help wounds heal.
What is dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF/DSS)?
Dengue fever (DF) is a viral disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. DF causes severe, flu-like symptoms with high fever and extreme muscle and joint pain. Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) are less common but more severe forms of the disease. DHF/DSS initially presents with very similar symptoms to DF.
What is the mode of transmission of dengue?
Transmission occurs through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, principally Aedes aegypti, which is also the principal urban vector of yellow fever. Hundreds of thousands of cases of dengue and DHF are reported each year in tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
How many types of dengue virus are there?
There are four dengue virus serotypes, called DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. They belong to the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae (of which yellow fever virus is the type species), which contains approximately 70 viruses (150). The flaviviruses are relatively small (40–50 mm) and spherical with a lipid envelope.
What is the history of dengue virus infection?
In 1944 two immunologically distinct but related viruses, now referred to as dengue 1 (DEN-I) and DEN-2, were isolated by Sabin (21) from patients with clinically diagnosed dengue.