Assessing the Diagnostic Value of Mean Monocyte Volume and Hematological Parameters in Predicting Dengue Fever: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Distinguishing dengue fever (DF) from other viral infections solely based on common presentations poses a challenge. Therefore, there is a pressing need for additional diagnostic parameters that are reliable, swift, and cost-effective. This study aims to provide novel insights into the diagnostic value of hematological parameters, particularly mean monocyte volume (MMV), in predicting DF in Kelantan, Malaysia.

METHODOLOGY

This cross-sectional study enrolled 162 patients with suspected DF symptoms. The diagnosis was confirmed through dengue immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or Dengue Early ELISA for nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) antigen detection. Hematological parameters were measured using the Coulter DxH 800 hematology analyzer (Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA), and the statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).

RESULTS

A total of 108 patients tested positive for DF, while 54 tested negative. We observed significant differences in WBC count, platelet count, and monocyte percentage between patients with DF and non-DF, while no significant correlation was noted for MMV. Subsequent statistical analysis, including receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, revealed that monocyte percentage exhibited the largest area under the curve (0.715), indicating its potential as moderate discriminative power in diagnosing DF.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study findings indicate that monocyte percentage and MMV outcomes are insufficient for predicting DF, suggesting potential areas for further research.