Distinguish between common fever, viral fever and dengue fever

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Nhat - Infectious Disease Specialist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Dengue fever and viral fever are currently in peak season. So when having a fever, how to distinguish common fever, viral fever or dengue fever? How to deal with dengue fever?

1. Normal fever

Fever is usually a temporary increase in body temperature in response to illness. On the other hand, body temperature is often not constant but fluctuates at different times of the day, usually higher in the afternoon. However, if the body temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees Celsius, it is considered a fever.
A fever usually occurs when the body's response to an infectious agent such as a cold or flu virus, bacteria that causes a sore throat, or inflammation caused by tissue damage or disease. In addition, external factors from the environment, such as a sunburn, cold, drugs or chemicals, can also cause fever.

2. Viral fever

Viral fever can be caused by many viral etiologies and also manifests as an increase in body temperature. Viral fever is quite diverse because there are thousands of different viruses, for example the dengue virus (dengue virus) is a viral infection transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. After being bitten by a mosquito that transmits the virus, an infected person will develop dengue fever after about 4-7 days. Viral fever in children is often more serious and common than in adults, because the child's immune system and resistance are not yet fully developed.
2.1. Signs of a child with a viral fever Viral fever in children usually manifests with a sudden high fever of 39 - 40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by a number of other signs such as:
Muscle pain: When having a viral fever, some children have pain all over the body, pain concentrated in the muscles. Headache, fussiness, lethargy: Common in young children, the expression of crying is unknown, but in some cases, despite having a headache, the baby is still awake and able to play. Skin rash: Usually appears 2-3 days after having a fever (when the rash appears, the baby's fever will get better). Other signs: Such as watery eyes, red eyes, eye pain, lots of eye rust, ... making the baby's vision blurred. Difficulty breathing, convulsions: Some young children have severe viral fever, symptoms of intermittent convulsions, with difficulty breathing, shortness of breath.

2.2. Signs of viral fever in adults Fatigue, lethargy: This is one of the most characteristic signs of viral fever in adults. Pain throughout the body: Similar to children, due to fatigue and hyperthermia, patients with viral fever often experience aches and pains all over the body, especially in the muscles. Fever: An elevated body temperature is one of the typical symptoms of viral fever in adults. High body temperature signals a serious infection, fever can sometimes reach 40 degrees Celsius. Cough, runny nose: Viral fever causes a feeling of chills, making patients cough and runny nose. Nasal congestion: After coughing and runny nose, there is a stuffy nose, difficulty breathing, wheezing. Headache: Patients with viral fever often have headache, especially after fever. Skin rash: Some patients have a skin rash, accompanied by fever.

3. Dengue fever

Dengue fever in children is often more severe than in adults. Because children with dengue fever easily lead to shock and re-shock, it is very dangerous if not handled promptly.
Dengue fever usually progresses through 3 stages with different signs. The early stages of dengue fever can be confused with common fever and viral fever. However, the clinical picture of dengue fever is mainly characterized by manifestations such as: congestion on the skin, rash under the skin (signs of hemorrhage), bleeding gums. If the condition is severe, the patient has symptoms of abdominal pain in the liver, enlarged liver, little urine, vomiting a lot, blood test shows that the hematocrit index is elevated and the platelet count rapidly decreases.
For children, the manifestations of dengue fever are sudden high fever, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, pain all over the body, pain in the eye sockets, congested mucous membranes, dotted rash under the skin, may be accompanied by bleeding gums. More seriously, children can have internal bleeding, respiratory failure, circulatory failure if not detected and treated promptly.
Thus, with dengue fever in the first 3 days of high fever, it can only be distinguished from other viral fevers by test results (if diagnosed early). When the disease has progressed to the following stages, it can be distinguished by tests and symptoms.
It is worth noting that, with normal viral fever, when the fever is gone, the symptoms of the disease will also be relieved. Meanwhile, with dengue fever, when the fever subsides, it is the time when the disease begins to enter the stage of dangerous complications, it is necessary to be examined and closely monitored for early detection and timely treatment of complications that occur. .

4. When you have dengue fever, how should you handle it?

Patients who notice signs of fever accompanied by the following symptoms should go to a medical facility for accurate diagnosis and active treatment by a doctor:
Continuous high fever 3-4 times without improvement. Tired of people. Vomit a lot. Struggling or lethargic. Severe abdominal pain, pain in the liver area. Little urine. Manifestations of abnormal bleeding: Nosebleeds, bleeding gums, petechiae under the skin, irregular menstrual periods, vomiting blood, passing black or bloody stools. Dengue fever cannot be transmitted directly from one person to another, but must be transmitted through mosquitoes. Therefore, in order to prevent dengue fever, people must actively prevent and eliminate mosquitoes and larvae, sleep under mosquito nets to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, clean around the house to avoid mosquito breeding, improve their health and well-being. Keep personal hygiene clean.
Master. Doctor. Nguyen Thi Nhat has more than 10 years of experience in the field of artificial kidney, and in the field of infectious diseases, examination and management of patients with kidney disease and infectious diseases. Currently working as a Doctor of Infectious Diseases, Department of General Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

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