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Dengue hemorrhagic fever

Definition:
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, potentially fatal infection that occurs when someone with immunity to one type of Dengue virus is infected by a different type. It is spread by certain mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) that bite primarily during the day. See also Dengue fever.

Alternative Names:
Hemorrhagic dengue; Dengue shock syndrome; Philippine hemorrhagic fever; Thai hemorrhagic fever; Singapore hemorrhagic fever

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Four different Dengue viruses have been implicated in both Dengue fever and Dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dengue hemorrhagic fever occurs when the patient contracts a different Dengue virus after previous infection(s) by another type. Prior immunity to a different Dengue virus type is important in the production of this severe disease.

Worldwide, more than 100 million cases of dengue fever occur every year. A small percent of these develop into Dengue hemorrhagic fever. Most cases in the U.S. are brought in from other countries. It is possible for a traveler who has returned to the United States to pass the infection to someone who has not traveled.

Risk factors for Dengue hemorrhagic fever include having antibodies to dengue virus from prior infection and being younger than 12, female, or Caucasian.



Review Date: 12/27/2002
Reviewed By: Eleftherios Mylonakis, M.D., Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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