Dengue infection in North India: An experience of a tertiary care center from 2012 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE

Recently, an alarming rise of dengue has been seen in India which remains a major public health concern. This study has been designed for a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology, gender, age, area distribution, symptomology, and seasonal variability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 900 suspected dengue cases of all age groups of either sex from 2012 to 2017 at a North Indian tertiary care hospital revealed 461 (51.22%) cases seropositive for dengue.

RESULTS

The age group of 20-30 years was the most affected group with male predominance. The urban population was more affected as 75.05%, and maximum cases were detected in October month followed by November. Common abnormal laboratory parameters were thrombocytopenia (99.1%), hepatic dysfunction (59%), and leukopenia (26.68%). Two uncommon findings, pancytopenia and pancreatic dysfunction were reported in 7 and 3 cases respectively.

CONCLUSION

Dengue infection in India has evolved rapidly, and regular outbreaks have been observed with a changing epidemiology, as the disease is rapidly spreading from urban to rural areas with increasing atypical manifestations.