DENGUE

Pathological Point Of View -

• Dengue Fever, Also Known As Breakbone Fever, Is A Mosquito-Borne Tropical Disease Caused By The Dengue Virus.

• Symptoms Include Fever, Headache, Muscle And Joint Pains, And A Characteristic Skin Rash That Is Similar To Measles.

• In A Small Proportion Of Cases The Disease Develops Into The Life-Threatening Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, Resulting In Bleeding, Low Levels Of Blood Platelets And Blood Plasma Leakage, Or Into Dengue Shock Syndrome, Where Dangerously Low Blood Pressure Occurs.

The Typical Rash Seen In Dengue Fever  >>>

Signs & Symptoms :-

Warning signs

Worsening abdominal pain

Ongoing vomiting

Liver enlargement

Mucosal bleeding

High hematocrit with low platelets

Lethargy or restlessness

Serosal effusions

Warning Signs Of Dengue  >>>

Clinical Course  :-

Cause :-

Virology

• Dengue Fever Virus (DENV) Is An RNA Virus Of  The Family Flaviviridae; Genus Flavivirus.

• The Dengue Virus Genome (Genetic Material) Contains About 11,000 Nucleotide Bases, Which Code For The Three Different Types Of Protein Molecules (C, prM and E) That Form The Virus Particle And Seven Other Types Of Protein Molecules (NS1, NS2a, NS2b, NS3, NS4a, NS4b, NS5) That Are Only Found In Infected Host Cells And Are Required For Replication Of The Virus.

• There Are Five Strains Of The Virus, Called Serotypes, Of Which The First Four Are Referred To As DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 And DENV-4.

• The Distinctions Between The Serotypes Is Based On Their Antigenicity.

Transmission

• Dengue Virus Is Primarily Transmitted By Aedes Mosquitoes, Particularly A. Aegypti.

• These Mosquitoes Usually Live Between The Latitudes Of 35° North And 35° South Below An Elevation Of 1,000 Metres (3,300 ft).

• They Typically Bite During The Day, Particularly In The Early Morning And In The Evening, But They Are Able To Bite And Thus Spread Infection At Any Time Of Day All During The Year.

• Other Aedes Species That Transmit The Disease Include A. Albopictus, A. Polynesiensis And A. Scutellaris. 

• Humans Are The Primary Host Of The Virus, But It Also Circulates In Nonhuman Primates. 

• An Infection Can Be Acquired Via A Single Bite. 

• A Female Mosquito That Takes A Blood Meal From A Person Infected With Dengue Fever, During The Initial 2–10 Day Febrile Period, Becomes Itself Infected With The Virus In The Cells Lining Its Gut. 

• About 8–10 Days Later, The Virus Spreads To Other Tissues Including The Mosquito's Salivary Glands And Is Subsequently Released Into Its Saliva. 

• The Virus Seems To Have No Detrimental Effect On The Mosquito, Which Remains Infected For Life.

• Aedes Aegypti Prefers To Lay Its Eggs In Artificial Water Containers, To Live In Close Proximity To Humans, And To Feed On People Rather Than Other Vertebrates.

• Dengue Can Also Be Transmitted Via Infected Blood Products And Through Organ Donation. 

• In Countries Such As Singapore, Where Dengue Is Endemic, The Risk Is Estimated To Be Between 1.6 And 6 Per 10,000 Transfusions.

• Vertical Transmission (From Mother To Child) During Pregnancy Or At Birth Has Been Reported. 

• Other Person-To-Person Modes Of Transmission Have Also Been Reported, But Are Very Unusual.

• The Genetic Variation In Dengue Viruses Is Region Specific, Suggestive That Establishment Into New Territories Is Relatively Infrequent, Despite Dengue Emerging In New Regions In Recent Decades.

Predisposition

• Severe Disease Is More Common In Babies And Young Children, And In Contrast To Many Other Infections It Is More Common In Children That Are Relatively Well Nourished.

• Other Risk Factors For Severe Disease Include Female Sex, High Body Mass index, And Viral Load. 

• While Each Serotype Can Cause The Full Spectrum Of Disease, Virus Strain Is A Risk Factor.

• Infection With One Serotype Is Thought To Produce Lifelong Immunity To That Type, But 
  Only Short Term Protection Against The Other Three. 

• The Risk Of Severe Disease From Secondary Infection Increases If Someone Previously Exposed To Serotype DENV-1 Contracts Serotype DENV-2 Or DENV-3, Or If Someone Previously Exposed To DENV-3 Acquires DENV-2. 

• Dengue Can Be Life-Threatening In People With Chronic Diseases Such As Diabetes And Asthma.

Mechanism

• When A Mosquito Carrying Dengue Virus Bites A Person, The Virus Enters The Skin Together With The Mosquito's Saliva. 

• It Binds To And Enters White Blood Cells, And Reproduces Inside The Cells While They Move Throughout The Body. 

• The White Blood Cells Respond By Producing A Number Of Signaling Proteins, Such As Cytokines And Interferons, Which Are Responsible For Many Of The Symptoms, Such As The Fever, The Flu-Like Symptoms And The Severe Pains. 

• In Severe Infection, The Virus Production Inside The Body Is Greatly Increased, And Many More Organs (Such As The Liver And The Bone Marrow) Can Be Affected. 

• Fluid From The Bloodstream Leaks Through The Wall Of Small Blood Vessels Into Body Cavities Due To Capillary Permeability. 

• As A Result, Less Blood Circulates In The Blood Vessels, And The Blood Pressure Becomes So Low That It Cannot Supply Sufficient Blood To Vital Organs. 

• Furthermore, Dysfunction Of The Bone Marrow Due To Infection Of The Stromal Cells Leads To Reduced Numbers Of Platelets, Which Are Necessary For Effective Blood Clotting; This Increases The Risk Of Bleeding, The Other Major Complication Of Dengue Fever.

For More Details :-

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever

Management :-

Allopathic Treatment :-

• There Is No Specific Medicine To Treat Dengue Infection. 

• If You Think You May Have Dengue Fever, You Should Use Pain Relievers With Acetaminophen And Avoid Medicines With Aspirin, Which Could Worsen Bleeding. 

• You Should Also Rest, Drink Plenty Of Fluids, And See Your Doctor. 

• If You Start To Feel Worse In The First 24 Hours After Your Fever Goes Down, You Should Get To A Hospital Immediately To Be Checked For Complications.

Diagnostic Investigations :-

• Dengue Infection Can Be Diagnosed By A Blood Test To Check For The Virus Or Antibodies To It.

For More Details :-

• http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference

 Homoeopathic Treatment :-

" One Single Simple Drug Substance In Its Most Suitable Potency, According To Symptom Similarity Based On Totality! "

In Case Of  Dengue, List Of Useful Remedies (According To REPERTORY

by Oscar E. BOERICKE, M.D.) Are As Below-

DENGUEA -- Acon., Ars., Bell., Bry., Canth., Cinch., Eup. perf., Gels., Ipec., Nux v., Rhus t., Rhus v.

  For Detail Study Of Above Mentioned Individual Remedy From HOMŒOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA by William BOERICKE, M.D.:-

•  http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/

Special Thanks To Damini Rathwa, Dipti Varma, Dhwani Gamit & Hiral Markar.

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Take Care Of Your Body,

It's The Only Place You Have To Live In.

With Best Regards, Karnav Thakkar :) :)