Dengue virus infection: predictors for severe dengue

Abstract

Dengue virus (DENV) infection is a mosquito born disease that is endemic in all WHO regions, except European region, and may present a broad range of severity. It may appear as an asymptomatic condition, dengue fever (DF), or life threatening forms, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), or the currently defined severe dengue. Currently there are means to diagnose DENV infection, but there is no accurate means to early predict the progress into severe manifestations. Therefore, this article addresses the factors that might be used to predict the progress into severe dengue. Predictors for severe dengue are the previously established warning signs, and coexisting conditions, as is recommended by the WHO, in addition to Caucasian race, and people with AB blood group. In the future, viral load assessment, viral serotype testing, NS1, cytokine, elastase, hyaluronan, soluble thrombomodulin, and NO level, and circulating endothelial cell detection test are promising to be studied and developed as early predictors of severe dengue.