Table 2.
Baseline characteristics at admission of patients with confirmed acute dengue.*
| Variable | All patients (n = 152) | Fatal cases (n = 6) |
| Age in years, median (IQR) | 7 (5–10) | 4 (4–6) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 74 (49) | 5 (83) |
| Duration of illness in days, median (IQR) | 4 (3–4) | 4 (4–5) |
| Haemorrhagic tendency, n (%) ¶ | 133 (88) | 6 (100) |
| Positive tourniquet test, n (%) | 103 (68) | 3 (50) |
| Spontaneous haemorrhage, n (%) £ | 93 (61) | 6 (100) |
| Hepatomegaly, n (%) | 105 (69) | 6 (100) |
| Systolic blood pressure in mmHg, median (IQR) | 90 (80–100) | 85 (68–93) |
| Hypotension for age, n (%) † | 50 (33) | 2 (33) |
| Pulse pressure <20 mmHg, n (%) | 12 (8) | 6 (100) |
| Pulse rate in beats/min, median (IQR) | 120 (104–128) | 130 (120–149) |
| Presence of pleural effusion, n (%) ‡ | 102 (67) | 5 (83) |
| Haematocrit in %, median (IQR) | 41 (36–45) | 42 (35–47) |
| Platelet count in cells/mm3, median (IQR) | 58.000 (37.000–85.000) | 31.000 (27.000–76.000) |
| Platelet count ≤ 100.000 cells/mm3, n (%) | 131 (86) | 5 (83) |
* n, denotes number; IQR, denotes interquartile range
¶ haemorrhagic tendency was present when at least one of the following was present: a) positive tourniquet test, b) petechiae, ecchymoses or purpura, c) bleeding from the mucosa, gastrointestinal tract, injection sites or other locations, d) haematemesis or melena
£ spontaneous haemorrhage was defined as all haemorrhagic manifestations not caused by a tourniquet test or venapuncture
† hypotension is defined to be a systolic pressure of <80 mmHg for those <5 years of age, or <90 mmHg for those ≥ 5 years [2]
‡ the presence of pleural effusion was assessed through a chest X-ray