It is a type of viral fever spread by the bite of the Aedes mosquito.
What are the symptoms of Dengue fever?
If the patient has;
- High Fever
- Nausea, Vomiting
- Headache
- Bone and muscle pain
- Skin rash
Then there is a chance that the patient might have dengue.
Tests for detection of Dengue
Dengue is a virus, by the various test we can know about the presence of viral antigens in blood an example of such test are
How to choose which test to go for?
- NS1 test for 1-2 day’s fever
- IgG & IgM tests if fever is 5-6 days old
- Platelets after 5-6 days of fever
- PCR can be done at any time
How to interpret test results?
- If NS1 is +ve, then the patient is most likely suffering from dengue.
- In IgG & IgM, the interpretation is a little complicated. If both are +ve, it indicates current infection.
- If IgM is the only +ve, then also it indicates current infection.
- If IgG is +ve & IgM is -ve, then that implies past infection.
- If PCR is +ve, dengue is +ve.
- If the platelet count decreased, for the confirmation of dengue, further tests are done.
{The above information is provided by Dr. Ankush Nayyar(MBBS, MD Pathology) for detailed information, please watch this video}