Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study

Introduction: Dengue fever poses a significant public health challenge in Nepal, with increasingsevere cases requiring intensive care. Limited data exist on the clinical profile and outcomes of critically ill dengue patients in resource-limited settings. This study is aimed to characterize the clini...

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Main Authors: Eliza Koirala, Gopendra Prasad Deo, Shital Adhikari, Basanta Gauli, Akriti Bajracharya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nepal Medical Association 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Nepal Medical Association
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Online Access:https://jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/9080
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author Eliza Koirala
Gopendra Prasad Deo
Shital Adhikari
Basanta Gauli
Akriti Bajracharya
author_facet Eliza Koirala
Gopendra Prasad Deo
Shital Adhikari
Basanta Gauli
Akriti Bajracharya
author_sort Eliza Koirala
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Dengue fever poses a significant public health challenge in Nepal, with increasingsevere cases requiring intensive care. Limited data exist on the clinical profile and outcomes of critically ill dengue patients in resource-limited settings. This study is aimed to characterize the clinical features, outcomes and complications of dengue patients admitted to a tertiary Intensive care unit in Nepal. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at from August to September 2024 after ethical approval. We enrolled 104 serologically confirmed dengue patients (aged ≥16 years) admitted to the Medical Intensive care unit. Exclusion criteria included co-infections with other tropical diseases. Data on demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory parameters (including platelet counts, liver enzymes), organ dysfunction (SOFA score), and outcomes were collected. Descriptive data analysis was used to report frequency, proportion, measure of central tendency and measure of dispersion based on nature of data. Results: The cohort (median age 41 years, 54.8% male) exhibited severe manifestations: thrombocytopenia (median platelets count 49,000/μL; IQR: 30,250–85,000 per μL), hepatic injury 86 (82.7%); median AST 176.5 U/L, ALT 208.5 U/L), and moderate organ dysfunction (median SOFA score 4). Hypertension 27 (25.96%) and diabetes 23 (22.12%) were common comorbidities. Despite 22 (21.2%) developing multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, mortality was remarkably low 1 (0.96%). Conclusions: Dengue fever cases peak during the month of August and September in endemic areas (Chitwan and surrounding district). Mortality could be reduced in severe dengue with appropriate critical care, highlighting the need to strengthen ICU capacity in endemic regions.
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spelling doaj-art-d66558459f254c2a909e341d163dc9be2025-08-20T03:46:54ZengNepal Medical AssociationJournal of Nepal Medical Association0028-27151815-672X2025-05-016328610.31729/jnma.9080Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational StudyEliza Koirala0Gopendra Prasad Deo1Shital Adhikari2Basanta Gauli3Akriti Bajracharya4Department of Critical Care Medicine, Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan, NepalDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan, NepalDepartment of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan, NepalDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan, NepalDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Chitwan, NepalIntroduction: Dengue fever poses a significant public health challenge in Nepal, with increasingsevere cases requiring intensive care. Limited data exist on the clinical profile and outcomes of critically ill dengue patients in resource-limited settings. This study is aimed to characterize the clinical features, outcomes and complications of dengue patients admitted to a tertiary Intensive care unit in Nepal. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at from August to September 2024 after ethical approval. We enrolled 104 serologically confirmed dengue patients (aged ≥16 years) admitted to the Medical Intensive care unit. Exclusion criteria included co-infections with other tropical diseases. Data on demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory parameters (including platelet counts, liver enzymes), organ dysfunction (SOFA score), and outcomes were collected. Descriptive data analysis was used to report frequency, proportion, measure of central tendency and measure of dispersion based on nature of data. Results: The cohort (median age 41 years, 54.8% male) exhibited severe manifestations: thrombocytopenia (median platelets count 49,000/μL; IQR: 30,250–85,000 per μL), hepatic injury 86 (82.7%); median AST 176.5 U/L, ALT 208.5 U/L), and moderate organ dysfunction (median SOFA score 4). Hypertension 27 (25.96%) and diabetes 23 (22.12%) were common comorbidities. Despite 22 (21.2%) developing multi-organ dysfunction syndrome, mortality was remarkably low 1 (0.96%). Conclusions: Dengue fever cases peak during the month of August and September in endemic areas (Chitwan and surrounding district). Mortality could be reduced in severe dengue with appropriate critical care, highlighting the need to strengthen ICU capacity in endemic regions. https://jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/9080clinical profile and outcomedengue fevermedical intensive care unitmulti-organ disorderNepal
spellingShingle Eliza Koirala
Gopendra Prasad Deo
Shital Adhikari
Basanta Gauli
Akriti Bajracharya
Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study
Journal of Nepal Medical Association
clinical profile and outcome
dengue fever
medical intensive care unit
multi-organ disorder
Nepal
title Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study
title_full Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study
title_fullStr Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study
title_full_unstemmed Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study
title_short Clinical profile and outcome of Dengue fever in Medical Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Level Hospital: An Observational Study
title_sort clinical profile and outcome of dengue fever in medical intensive care unit of a tertiary level hospital an observational study
topic clinical profile and outcome
dengue fever
medical intensive care unit
multi-organ disorder
Nepal
url https://jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/9080
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