Demographic and clinical variables in the dengue epidemic in Punjab, Pakistan

OBJECTIVES: To identify the latest trends in the clinical picture and severity of the disease, which will help better understand and manage dengue. METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional, hospital-based study performed in the tertiary care hospitals of Punjab from August 21 to December 2022, in which serologically and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed patients with dengue infection, were enrolled. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded on a pre-tested Performa, processed and presented in frequency and percentages, and graphs were generated. Mean and standard deviation was used to present continuous variables. RESULTS: Out of a total of 580 patients, 472 were diagnosed with Dengue Fever (DF) and 108 with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). About 79.31% of the patients were male and 20.69% were females. The mean age of patients was 32.5±9 years. Among the clinical features the percentage of high-grade fever, body aches, and vomiting were the highest. The liver function profile showed that serum bilirubin, Serum aspartate transaminase (AST), serum alanine transaminase (ALT,) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels were markedly raised. CONCLUSION: This study showed that with time the trends in the presentation of dengue are slowly shifting, which will help us better manage the disease burden in the future.