Aplicación de los signos de alarma y otros criterios para el ingreso hospitalario de casos de dengue en pacientes atendidos en el Hospital General Monte Sinaí en el año 2024.

Abstract

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, especially Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, and is one of the main public health problems worldwide and in Ecuador. Given the significant importance of warning signs as predictors of progression to severe dengue, a descriptive, longitudinal, retrospective study was conducted, reviewing the medical records of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of dengue treated at the Monte Sinaí Hospital in Guayaquil in 2024. The study determined or evaluated whether medical personnel used hospital admission criteria based on warning signs, as well as vulnerability and social risk criteria, according to PAHO/WHO technical guidelines. Of 495 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of dengue, 409 (82.63%) were hospitalized. Of these, 212 (42.83%) presented with warning signs, 56 (11.31%) had comorbidities, and 110 (22.22%) were at social risk. Warning signs included intense and continuous abdominal pain (94.40%), persistent vomiting (78.40%), mucosal bleeding (16.80%), drowsiness (7.20%), agitation (10.40%), and hepatomegaly (13.60%). Comorbidities included obesity in 34 cases (17.61%), diabetes mellitus in 23 (11.91%), and asthma in 12 (6.21%). Regarding social risk factors, 73 patients (37.82%) were admitted due to lack of transportation, 52 (26.94%) due to living far away, and 45 (23.31%) due to poverty. Among the vulnerabilities admitted were 17 (8.80%) due to pregnancy and 10 (17%) due to being over 65 years of age. It was evident that the medical staff appropriately applied the hospital admission criteria in the presence of warning signs, comorbidities, or social risk factors, and that none of the patients progressed to severe illness or death from dengue.