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Cardiac complications seen in patients with dengue
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A recently-published study sheds some light on the types of cardiac illnesses that may be associated with dengue virus infection.
Researchers with the University of São Paulo Medical School at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, looked at data on 81 patients who were hospitalized for dengue infection between January and July of 2011; mean age of patients was 32 years (range: 4 months to 81 years).
Of those 81 patients, 12 patients “presented with elevated biomarker levels,” the researchers said. These included higher C-reactive proteins (P=.02), leukocyte counts (P<.001) and platelet counts (P<.005) and lower viral loads (P=.03), according to the findings.
Ten of the 12 patients underwent an echocardiogram, which revealed a range of cardiac abnormalities, including left ventricular issues, myocarditis and pericarditis.
The researchers noted some study limitations, specifically that they may have underestimated the prevalence of myocarditis because of the screening process used to select patients for imaging.
Also, the researchers noted that the specific screenings used vary in sensitivities and specificities.
Regardless of these limitations, the researchers wrote: “These cardiac complications might be underdiagnosed in clinical practice and can contribute to the mortality observed in dengue.”
Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.
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