The dynamic nature of dengue fever requires rapid and repeated clinical detection according on the vital signs variables, blood profile, and symptoms to render timely clinical treatment. Patients with or without warning signs carries risk of contracting the severe dengue; thus, a recent study identified the vital signs and blood profile variables that differentiates the severity levels of dengue fever among dengue patients.

The patients aged between 15 and 60 years and diagnosed with dengue infection were included in the study. Laboratory tests positive either for the NS1 antigen or the dengue IgM antibody confirmed the presence of infection. The patients without any premorbid conditions were included.

The results were as follows-

• Dengue fever without warning signs and severe dengue can be differentiated using the pulse rate on day 3, day 4, day 5, and day 6 and the white blood cell count on day 7 of illness.
• Parameters at day 6 of illness, like systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and hematocrit, differentiated dengue fever with warning signs from the severe dengue category.
• Hematocrit is critical in dengue fever with warning signs versus severe dengue on day 8 of illness. 

Thus it was concluded that the pulse rate is a common marker for day 3 to day 6 even though other parameters are significant. However, for day 7 and day 8 white blood cells and hematocrit are significant factors.

SOURCE- Zainee N, Chellappan K, Vehi J, Periyasamy P, Man Z. Clinical data analysis of dengue fever severity identification. Biomedical Research and Therapy, 2021;8(7): 4447-4455. https://doi.org/10.15419/bmrat.v8i7.683