Caracterización epidemiológica, clínica y de laboratorio del dengue en pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados en el Hospital Roberto Gilbert Elizalde en el período 2013- 2022.

Abstract

Dengue is the main arboviral disease in the world, caused by the dengue virus and transmitted by Aedes aegypti. Our objective is to describe the characteristics of dengue in pediatric patients hospitalized over the last 10 years. An accumulated prevalence of 1.21% was found, with a maximum annual prevalence of 4.87% in 2021; the average age was 9 years, 55.6% were male, and 92.5% were from urban areas. The average hospital stay was 5 days; 100% presented with fever, 89.5% self-medicated, and the time from symptom onset to consultation was 5 days. Sixteen percent were obese, and 7.20% had severe dengue, with shock being the main registered complication. The most frequent warning sign was abdominal pain, with a mortality rate of 0.3%, and 2% of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. Statistical association tests were applied to the variables concerning the severity of dengue, revealing significant statistical evidence at a 95% confidence level for the following quantitative variables: days of hospitalization and levels of AST and ALT. Regarding qualitative variables, results suggest a strong statistical association between severity and the presence of lethargy, ascites, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, hepatomegaly, elevated hematocrit, neutrophilia, hypoalbuminemia, and prolonged prothrombin time. Recognizing factors related to severity is useful for making timely therapeutic decisions. We recommend a standardized case registry to obtain a more accurate assessment and data.