TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Pediatrician Consultant for Infectious and Tropical Diseases of Children from the University of Indonesia, Debbie Latupeirissa, reminded various health problems entering this transitional season, namely dengue fever dengue (DHF).
“Enter transition season, various health problems in tropical countries are back. One thing to watch out for is dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF),” said the doctor who practices at Pondok Indah Hospital – Bintaro Jaya.
DHF is caused by the dengue virus which is carried by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. This disease is characterized by typical symptoms such as high fever without other symptoms, for example without cough, runny nose, or shortness of breath. Some patients also complain of symptoms of pain behind the eyes, headaches, joint pain, to the appearance of red patches on the skin or bleeding.
“However, usually red patches on the skin are not visible in the early days,” said Debbie.
According to him, although it is a disease that can heal by itself, it is not uncommon for dengue fever to cause fatalities if it is not treated quickly. Moreover, if the DHF patient has entered a dangerous phase and occurs in younger children who have not been able to express their condition. Therefore, not a few patients DBD He was then admitted to the hospital for closer monitoring of his condition.
Regarding the course of the disease, there are three phases of DHF, ie days 1-3 are called the febrile phase without bleeding. In this phase, initial symptoms usually occur such as high fever, headache, joint pain, and pain behind the eyeball. After entering days 4-5, the fever tends to go down. At this stage, the patient begins to enter a critical phase.
In the case of pediatric patients, most parents are not aware of this phase when the fever goes down so they think their little one has started to recover. In fact, at this stage the risk of shock is much greater. In addition, there may also be a further decrease in platelets marked by bleeding, such as nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or spontaneous red spots on the skin.
In the critical phase there is seepage of blood plasma so that there is an increase in blood viscosity or hematocrit and this is important to watch out for. In this phase, the patient requires a lot of fluids by drinking a lot or giving intravenous fluids.
“If the fluid needs are not fulfilled, the risk of your child experiencing shock which can be life-threatening will increase. Moreover, if the shock is not resolved quickly, there may be severe bleeding complications that will be difficult to overcome,” explained the member of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI).
Bleeding occurs not only due to a very decreased platelet count but also impaired blood clotting function. Other risks that can occur in this critical phase are impaired consciousness, impaired kidney function, and impaired liver and other organ functions. This condition can occur in approximately 30 percent of cases of severe dengue.
Also read: Why is Dengue Fever Susceptible to Increase During the Rainy Season?
–
