Daily platelet counts may help predict children at risk for dengue shock syndrome

According to a recent report by researchers from the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, daily platelet counts in children experiencing the early stages of dengue virus infection can help predict those at risk of dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

The study followed 2,301 children aged 5 to 15 that were admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for suspected dengue infection between 2001 and 2009. The children were monitored by evaluating daily blood counts, vital signs, symptoms, and physical exam information. Each patient was admitted to the hospital within four days of onset of symptoms.

Results of the study found that 143 children, or approximately six percent, progressed to DSS symptoms. Each patient showed similar symptomatic factors upon hospital entry, which later development into the DSS, including a history of vomiting, higher temperature, palpable liver, and lower platelet counts. Results also showed that daily platelet counts, accounting for changes over a period of time, helped predict which patients would develop DSS symptoms.

“Although the study was performed among hospitalized children… the findings may be applicable to the population of children now managed as outpatients during the early phase of their illness in many large cities across southeast Asia,” the research team said. “The findings reinforce the view that in the early febrile phase dengue is typically a rather non-specific illness, but also provide strong support for the WHO recommendation to perform daily full blood counts in order to monitor the platelet count closely in these patients.”

Full results of the study were published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.