Determining Risk Factors for Dengue Fever Severity in Jeddah City, a Case-Control Study (2017)

Diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for severe dengue fever and West Nile fever: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Dengue fever (DF) and West Nile fever (WNF) have become endemic worldwide in the last two decades. Studies suggest that individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at a higher risk of developing severe complications from these diseases. Identifying the factors associated with a severe clinical presentation is crucial, as prompt treatment is essential to prevent complications and fatalities. This article aims to summarize and assess the published evidence regarding the link between DM and the risk of severe clinical manifestations in cases of DF and WNF.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

A systematic search was conducted using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. 27 studies (19 on DF, 8 on WNF) involving 342,873 laboratory-confirmed patients were included in the analysis. The analysis showed that a diagnosis of DM was associated with an increased risk for severe clinical presentations of both DF (OR 3.39; 95% CI: 2.46, 4.68) and WNF (OR 2.89; 95% CI: 1.89, 4.41). DM also significantly increased the risk of death from both diseases (DF: OR 1.95; 95% CI: 1.09, 3.52; WNF: OR 1.74; 95% CI: 1.40, 2.17).

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

This study provides strong evidence supporting the association between DM and an increased risk of severe clinical manifestations in cases of DF and WNF. Diabetic individuals in DF or WNF endemic areas should be closely monitored when presenting with febrile symptoms due to their higher susceptibility to severe disease. Early detection and appropriate management strategies are crucial in reducing the morbidity and mortality rates associated with DF and WNF in diabetic patients. Tailored care and targeted public health interventions are needed to address this at-risk population. Further research is required to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop effective preventive and therapeutic approaches.

Risk factors associated with severe dengue in Latin America: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Severe dengue is a significant health problem in Latin America, with children being the most affected. Understanding risk factors for severe dengue is crucial for enhancing patient care. Therefore, this study aims to systematically review the literature to identify the risk factors associated with severe dengue in Latin America through systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

PubMed, SciELO, LILACS and EMBASE databases were used to search for eligible scientific articles for the review. The outcomes considered were symptoms of severe dengue, hospitalisation and death. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies. Data analysis was performed using STATA v 13.0 software. The degree of heterogeneity between studies was quantified using the I2 measure, and statistically significant results were defined as those with p values <0.05.

RESULTS

Of the 1876 articles screened, 47 articles were included in the systematic review and 45 articles were analysed through meta-analysis. Identified risk factors associated with severe dengue included secondary dengue infection, female sex, white or Caucasian ethnicity and specific signs and symptoms such as headache, myalgia and/or arthralgia, vomiting/nausea, abdominal pain or tenderness, diarrhoea, prostration, lethargy, fatigue or similar. For the death outcome, respiratory symptoms and age <18 years were identified as risk factors. On the other hand, in women, the diagnosis of positive tourniquet test, platelet count <100,000 per μL and symptoms of capillary fragility were associated with a lower probability of death. These data highlight the importance of early screening of patients, to identify possible haemorrhagic signs and reduce deaths from dengue. This study has limitations, including possible publication bias, heterogeneity of results and study design biases.

CONCLUSION

These findings are significant for shaping strategies, management approaches and identifying high-risk groups, which will help establish future guidelines.

Association between Anti-DENV IgM Serum Prevalence and CD11b Expression by Classical Monocytes in Obesity

Dengue and obesity are currently highly prevalent conditions worldwide and the association between these two conditions may result in greater risk for DENV infection and disease severity. In this study the association between obesity and recent, inapparent dengue was investigated. Serum DENV IgM and NS1 were evaluated in 49 adult volunteers (15 lean and 34 individuals with obesity, according to body mass index), between September 2017 and June 2018. Adiposity, endocrine, metabolic, and immune data of the participants were also obtained. None of the study participants tested positive for the DENV NS1 antigen. DENV IgM was detected in 33.3% of the lean individuals, and in 44.1% of those with obesity; the presence of DENV IgM was not associated with body mass index (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 0.59-2.98, p = 0.48). However, body fat index was higher in obese individuals who had recent inapparent dengue (14.7 ± 3.1 versus 12.7 ± 2.1 kg/m2, p = 0.04), as was the expression of CD11b by classical (CD14++CD16-) monocytes (1103.0 ± 311.3 versus 720.3 ± 281.1 mean fluoresce intensity). Our findings suggest an association between adiposity and recent inapparent dengue and the involvement of classical monocytes in this association.

A case-control study to determine the risk factors of dengue fever in Chattogram, Bangladesh

Objectives

In a tropical country like Bangladesh, where the climatic condition favors the growth of Aedes mosquito vectors, the success of dengue prevention depends largely on the proper identification and control of risk factors. Therefore this study was aimed to explore the potential risk factors and their association with dengue infection.

Study design

A case-control study including 150 cases and 150 controls was conducted in Chattogram district of Bangladesh. Cases were confirmed dengue patients admitted in Chattogram medical college hospital and Bangladesh institute of tropical and infectious diseases during August and September 2019. On the other hand, controls were non-dengue patients admitted in other departments of the same hospitals through gender, age, and location matching.

Methods

The questionnaire data were collected through telephone-based interviews, which included general demography, daily life activities, housing and surrounding environment of participants. Chi-square and binary logistic regression were performed to identify potential risk factors.

Results

The study found that travel history to the high incidence area, staying most of the daytime in office (AOR = 18.10), living in 21-40 years old houses (AOR = 9.74), and the temporary residency in the city (AOR = 10.20) were statistically significant risk factors for getting dengue infection. However, day time sleep, house type and structure, number of family members, morning and evening walk, plant in resident, and junk yard around 250 m of the house were also showed a significant effect in chi square test.

Conclusions

Results strengthen our understanding regarding the role of factors associated with daily lifestyle and living environment of people in the development of dengue and hence support the dengue control program in Bangladesh. The study will provide a basis for future extended research covering different parts of the country.

Warning Signs in Predicting Severe Pediatric Dengue Infection

Objective The uncertainty of dengue's progression from infection to its severe form represents a major health care challenge, especially in children. Clinical identification of impending clinical manifestations of severe dengue (SD), along with proper and immediate management, is crucial. Thus, this study assesses the ability of warning signs to predict SD infection in pediatric patients.

Methods This cross-sectional study utilized purposive sampling using medical records from January 2015 to December 2020. Children aged 0 to 18 years diagnosed with dengue fever and SD according to the World Health Organization's 2009 criteria were included.

Discussion Multivariate analysis revealed that abdominal pain (odds ratio [OR]: 16.34; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.78–70.64; p < 0.001), fluid accumulation (OR: 10.51, 95% CI: 1.17–94.3; p = 0.036), mucosal bleeding (OR: 4.77; 95% CI: 1.27–17.91; p = 0.021), lethargy (OR: 94.37; 95% CI: 4.92–180.79; p = 0.003), hepatomegaly (OR: 17.57; 95% CI: 2.14–144.13; p = 0.008), and increased hematocrit concurrent with a rapid decrease in platelets (OR: 6.89; 95% CI: 1.79–26.51, p = 0.005) were associated with SD infection, with a high quality of discrimination (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.96) and a high quality of fit (p = 0.73). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that 1.5 warning signs was the optimal cut-off for predicting SD infection, with a sensitivity of 90.9 and a specificity of 89.8%.

Conclusion All six warning signs were significantly associated with SD infection. The optimal cut-off for predicting SD was 1.5 warning signs.

Serum IL-18 Is a Potential Biomarker for Predicting Severe Dengue Disease Progression

Background. Dengue virus (DENV) infection is the most common arboviral disease that affects tropical and subtropical regions. Based on the clinical hallmarks, the different severities of patients range from mild dengue fever (MDF) to severe dengue diseases (SDDs) and include dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. These are commonly associated with cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The types and levels of cytokines/chemokines, which are suppressed or enhanced, are varied, indicating CRS's pathogenic and host defensive effects. Principal Finding. In this study, we created an integrated and precise multiplex panel of cytokine/chemokine assays based on our literature analysis to monitor dengue CRS. A 24-plex panel of cytokines/chemokines was evaluated to measure the plasma levels of targeting factors in dengue patients with an MDF and SDD diagnosis without or with comorbidities. As identified in sixteen kinds of cytokines/chemokines, ten were significantly (P < 0.05) (10/16) increased, one was significantly (P < 0.01) (1/16) decreased, and five were potentially (5/16) altered in all dengue patients (n = 30) in the acute phase of disease onset. Compared to MDF, the levels of IL-8 (CXCL-8) and IL-18 in SDD were markedly (P < 0.05) increased, accompanied by positively increased IL-6 and TNF-α and decreased IFN-γ and RANTES. With comorbidities, SDD significantly (P < 0.01) portrayed elevated IL-18 accompanied by increased IL-6 and decreased IFN-α2 and IL-12. In addition, decreased platelets were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with increased IL-18. Significance. These results demonstrate an efficient panel of dengue cytokine/chemokine assays used to explore the possible level of CRS during the acute phase of disease onset; also, we are the first to report the increase of IL-18 in severe dengue with comorbidity compared to severe dengue without comorbidity and mild dengue.