Incidence and Outcome of Dengue Fever During Pre-monsoon, Monsoon, and Post-monsoon Periods: A Cross-Sectional Study From a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

TL;DR

This study found that dengue fever is most common during the monsoon season in India and is associated with kidney involvement and longer hospital stays.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the seasonal patterns and clinical outcomes of dengue fever in a tertiary care hospital in India.

Findings

Dengue cases were highest during the monsoon period (78.1%).

Kidney involvement was the most common organ complication (25.8%).

Platelet count and hospital stay duration were inversely correlated (r = -0.390).

Abstract

Background and objectives: Lately, dengue fever has emerged as a public health concern in India. Overcrowding and climate change facilitated this vector-borne disease. Hence, we carried out this study to evaluate the incidence and outcome of dengue fever in monsoon, post-monsoon, and pre-monsoon periods. Additionally, we correlated the age, platelet count, and duration of hospitalization of the participants.

Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study from June 2019 to September 2021 at Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar, India. We obtained data (age, gender, organs affected, platelet count, requirement of ICU, platelet transfusion, duration of hospitalization, and outcome) from their case records. R software version 4.1.3 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) was used for data analysis.

Results: Seven hundred eighteen dengue patients were recruited for this study. Their mean age was 43.2 ± 11.8 years. There were 347 (48.3%) female participants. The mean platelet count of the study population was 132.1 ± 64.7 × 109/L. The dengue cases were the highest (561, 78.1%) during the monsoon period. Most participants had their kidneys (185, 25.8%) affected due to dengue fever. A total of 224 (31.2%) patients had bleeding manifestations, and 371 (51.7%) patients required ICU admission. The average duration of hospital stay was 11.0 ± 3.9 days. Of 718 patients, 693 (96.5%) were discharged and 25 (3.5%) died. The platelet count and duration of hospital stay were negatively correlated (r = -0.390, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Dengue cases were maximum during the monsoon period. Younger individuals and men were more affected. Kidney involvement was the maximum, followed by lungs, liver, and heart. The duration of hospitalization and platelet count were inversely related.

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