Assessment of Dengue fever severity through liver function tests

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hepatology
• Clinical Biochemistry

Background:

• Dengue fever is a significant public health concern, particularly in tropical regions.
• Early recognition of Dengue fever severity is crucial for timely intervention and improved patient outcomes.
• Liver function tests (LFTs) are commonly used biochemical markers in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of LFTs in the early detection of Dengue fever severity.
• To determine if LFTs can predict the outcome of Dengue fever in hospitalized patients.

Main Methods:

• An analytical study was conducted involving hospitalized Dengue fever patients.
• Patients were categorized based on aminotransferase levels (mild, moderate, severe).
• LFT results were correlated with patient outcomes, including complications and mortality.

Main Results:

• Out of 353 patients, elevated aminotransferases were observed in 3.7% (severe), 75.1% (moderate), and 21.2% (mild).
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were significantly higher in patients with complications and worse outcomes.
• AST levels were approximately double the ALT levels in complicated cases.

Conclusions:

• Elevated AST and ALT levels are statistically associated with poorer outcomes in Dengue fever patients.
• LFTs can serve as valuable tools for the early identification of high-risk Dengue fever cases.
• Monitoring LFTs can aid clinicians in predicting disease severity and guiding patient management.