Analysis of dermatological manifestations of dengue fever

Introduction: Dengue fever and related infections are increasing especially in tropical countries like India. Dengue fever may present with the dermatological manifestations but enough data is not available focusing them. This study was conducted to investigate dermatological manifestations of dengue fever(DF). Materials and Method: Prospective study was conducted for period of 3 months (August – October 2016) in a tertiary care hospital. All the indoor patients with febrile illness and suspected to have dengue fever were screened and only serologically positive for Dengue Fever cases were included in the study and analyzed for age, gender and mucocutaneous features - its treatment and outcome. Results: Out of 326 suspected dengue cases, 104 serologically confirmed for DF. Out of these 104 patients, 71.15% were male and 28.85% were female. Age of patients ranged from 8 – 62 years. 55 (52.88%) patients had cutaneous manifestations and 15 (14.42%) had additional mucosal involvement. Out of these 55 patients, 58.1% had maculopapular rash, 21.9% had ecchymotic manifestations, 14.6% cases had patechial manifestations. Pruritus was present in 36.3% cases. Out of 55 cases, 50.9% had generalized distribution of rash while 29.1% and 20% had trunk and limb involvement respectively. Out of 15 patients with mucosal manifestations, 11(73.33%) had conjuctival congestion, 3(20%) had lip crusting and only 1(6.7%) patient had soft palate vesicle. Conclusion: Dermatological manifestations are common presenting features of dengue fever patients but not present in all patients. Identification of them helps us in early diagnosis and better management of patients.