Guide to distinguish viral fever from dengue fever

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Head of Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

Viral fever and dengue fever are both caused by different viruses. However, common viral fever is quite benign and can go away on its own after about 7 days, while dengue can leave many complications that can affect the patient's life. Not everyone understands and distinguishes between viral fever and dengue fever, the following article provides information to help differentiate viral fever and dengue fever.

1. Viral fever

1.1. Symptoms of viral fever Viral fever is a general illness caused by many different viruses. Depending on the virus, the symptoms can be severe or mild. Usually there are the following symptoms:
Sudden high fever: 39-40 degrees Celsius. In a viral fever, you are often tired and respond poorly to fever-reducing drugs such as paracetamol. Upper respiratory tract inflammation: Accompanied by symptoms of nasopharyngitis such as cough, runny nose, sore throat,... Gastrointestinal disorders: May appear with manifestations such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. loose stools,... Swollen lymph nodes: Appearance of lymph nodes in the head, face and neck area, can be painful and palpable, larger than normal. For adults: Muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, with children, they often cry. May be accompanied by conjunctivitis : Red eyes, watery eyes Skin rash: May appear 2-3 days after fever. In some cases, young children may have convulsions due to high fever. It usually goes away on its own after about 7 days.

1.2. Guidelines for the treatment of viral fever Diseases caused by viruses often do not have specific treatment drugs, usually symptomatic treatment and in combination with nutrition.
Reduce fever: When the fever is < 38.5 degrees Celsius, use physical methods such as applying warm water to the forehead, armpit, groin area. When the fever is from 38.5 degrees Celsius, apply warm compresses with Paracetamol at a dose of 10-15mg/kg, 4-6 hours/time. Note that if the child has a pre-convulsant, the drug should be used when the child has a fever of 38 degrees Celsius. Anti-convulsant: If the child has a high fever or has a history of convulsions, it is recommended to use a combination of antipyretic and anticonvulsant drugs as indicated. doctor. Rehydration and electrolytes: When the body has a high fever, the body loses water and electrolytes, leading to disturbances in water and electrolyte balance. Rehydrate and electrolytes with oresol, hydrate mixed according to the ratio on the package and drink as needed. Anti-infection: Clean the body, use a 0.9% saline solution in the eyes and nose. Nutrition: Use liquid food, easy to digest, enough nutrients, fortified with vitamin C with fruits. . Note: Viral fever can spread into an epidemic, so isolate to avoid contact with many people to spread to the community.
When the fever is high, taking antipyretic drugs does not reduce and appear with symptoms such as lethargy, lethargy, convulsions, vomiting, a lot of headache, ... the symptoms are increasing, you should come. medical facilities for timely examination and treatment.
Some viruses can be prevented by vaccines such as: Measles, rubella, Japanese encephalitis,... Should be vaccinated according to schedule to limit disease.

2. Dengue fever

2.1. Signs of Dengue Hemorrhagic fever is caused by the Dengue virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes containing the virus and biting healthy people. The disease appears in 3 stages:
Stage of onset: Usually in the first 3 days of the disease. The patient has a sudden onset of high fever of 39-40 degrees Celsius, fatigue, headache, pain in the eye sockets, body pain, and possibly upper respiratory tract inflammation. The symptoms are quite similar to viral fever. Full-blown stage (hemorrhagic phase): Fever may decrease, signs of bleeding from mild to severe (due to thrombocytopenia in the blood), is a stage where many complications occur. Subcutaneous hemorrhage: The patient sees bleeding spots under the skin, accompanied by skin itching symptoms. Nosebleeds and bleeding gums may occur, and in women, bleeding may not be related to the menstrual cycle. Gastrointestinal bleeding with black stools, bloody stools or vomiting blood. More severe bleeding may represent a brain haemorrhage, a life-threatening intra-abdominal haemorrhage. Due to the phenomenon of hemoconcentration, if not enough fluid is rehydrated, the patient may experience hypotension, which is more severe than shock due to a decrease in circulating volume. Recovery phase: The patient has no fever, less fatigue, and the platelet count begins to increase.

2.2. Guidelines for treatment of dengue fever

Also a disease caused by a virus, so there is no specific treatment, treatment is mainly symptomatic treatment and a combination of diet and rest:
Should limit travel, bed rest Reduce fever: When the fever is < 38.5 degrees Celsius, use physical methods such as applying warm water to the forehead, armpit, and groin area. When fever is from 38.5 degrees Celsius, apply warm compresses in combination with Paracetamol (do not use ibuprofen or aspirin to reduce fever) at a dose of 10-15mg/kg, 4-6 hours/time. Note that if the child has pre-convulsions, the drug should be used when the child has a fever from 38 degrees Celsius. Rehydration and electrolytes: Drink plenty of water, use oresol or hydrite to rehydrate and electrolytes. Eat liquid, easy to digest, increase vitamin C with fruits. Monitor disease progress regularly: if severe symptoms appear, high fever does not respond to antipyretic drugs, lethargy, lethargy, vomiting a lot, can't drink, severe abdominal pain, abnormal bleeding such as black stools , vomiting blood, menstrual cramps, nosebleeds, bleeding gums that can't be stopped, ... immediately go to medical facilities for timely treatment to avoid complications.

3. How to distinguish viral fever and dengue fever

To distinguish viral fever and dengue fever based on:
Epidemiology: Both viral fever and dengue fever can spread into epidemics, so this factor can be relied on to orient the disease. Distinguishing when dengue fever early stage must be based on laboratory tests. If it is dengue fever, test: Dengue test (+), Blood count (decreased platelet count, increased Hct red blood cell volume). If viral fever, the above indicators are normal. For dengue in the full-blown stage: Dengue fever begins to appear hemorrhagic in many forms, while viral fever has no hemorrhagic symptoms. The way to distinguish between the rash in viral fever and the subcutaneous hemorrhage in dengue is that if the rash is stretched, the rash will disappear, but if it is a purpura, it will not disappear. Dengue fever and viral fever have similar early manifestations, but can still be distinguished by laboratory tests. Distinguishing between dengue fever and viral fever is necessary for timely orientation and monitoring of complications caused by dengue.

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