Dengue has a benign presentation in renal transplant patients: a case series

Dengue fever and its complications are a poorly described entity in the renal transplant population. Previous reports in renal transplant patients suggest a high mortality rate.

We undertook a retrospective study of six cases of dengue fever in renal transplant patients during a dengue outbreak in Singapore in 2005 which involved a total of 1400 cases in the city state.

Mean thrombocytopenia was 130,000/microL on presentation and 80,000/microL at deffervescence. No dengue haemorrhagic fever, dengue shock syndrome, deaths or abnormal graft function were observed. Mean hospital stay was 8.6 days. Four of six patients also had simultaneous CMV reactivation.

In common with the majority of adults, dengue fever follows a benign course in the renal transplant population and dengue haemorrhagic fever is rare. This may be related to the relative immunosuppression reducing the risk for antibody-enhanced complications.