An
acute and often
epidemic disease caused by infection with
Arbor B group viruses. (The disease is also known as "
breakbone Fever.") It is transmitted to man by the
Aedes mosquito and is found throughout the tropics, particularly in the mosquitoes' active season. When symptoms develop, 3 to 15 days after the bite, one of three broad
clinical patterns may be seen: classical dengue, a mild
atypical form or
hemorrhagic fever.
In the
classical form, a
runny nose or
conjunctivitis is followed within hours by a
severe headache ("break-bone"), pain behind the
eyes,
backache,
leg and
joint pains and depression. The fever may be of a characteristic "
saddle back" type: a raised
temperature for about 3 days followed by several hours when the symptoms and fever
disappear before resuming for another day. During the second phase of fever,
swollen glands and a
characteristic berry-like rash are frequently present. Classical dengue fever usually lasts only 5 to 6 days and is never
fatal. Treatment involves only the relief of symptoms (strong analgesics may be required). The
patient commonly feels
depressed and
tired for several weeks.
The
atypical mild form of dengue fever usually lasts less than
72 hours.
Dengue
hemorrhagic fever occurs mainly in Southeast
Asia, particularly in
infants. The initial symptoms are similar to those of the classic fever, but damage to
blood vessels leads to more severe problems. Again,
treatment can only be
supportive (relief of symptoms).
Mortality rates of up to 20% have been reported in some epidemics.
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