What is Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever?

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a potentially fatal dengue infection. It is caused when a person gets infected the second, third or fourth time with a different dengue virus than before. There are four types of Dengue Virus, DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4 carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is ironical that the immunity that a person develops for one type of Dengue virus actually serves to accentuate the problem when the other type of virus infects him.

The early symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever are the same as dengue but ultimately the situation worsens and the acute phase comes. The early symptoms include –

• High Fever
• Headache
• Joint Aches
• Muscle Aches
• Vomiting
• Decrease in Appetite

These are much the same as dengue but the real problem begins in the next phase.

Acute symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever are –

• Ecchymosis - Skin discolouration due to internal rupture of blood vessels
• Generalised Rashes.
• Petechiae – Red spots on the skin caused by breaking of blood capillaries.
• The earlier symptoms are worsened.

The dengue hemorrhagic fever can also get worse and leave the patient in a shock-like state. It is called the dengue shock syndrome. The main symptoms of this are clamminess due to the process of sweating and cooling. The circulatory system is badly affected and it can turn fatal.
The cases of dengue fever reported worldwide every year are more than 100 million. Some of them develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever. Children below 12, women, Caucasions and those who have been infected with one of the dengue virus earlier are at risk.