Causes of Anorexia in Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Dengue hemorrhagic fever can occur as a severe complication of the dengue fever virus. Anorexia (in this context, loss of appetite and weight loss) is one of many dangerous effects of this serious, and sometimes fatal, illness. Loss of appetite is one of the early symptoms of the virus and it may, when accompanied by vomiting, cause extreme weight loss.
Other People Are Reading
-
Identification
-
Dengue fever is diagnosed by a blood test. However, physicians will usually assume that patients who exhibit symptoms, in any region outbreaks commonly occur, have dengue fever.
According to the Center for Disease Control these symptoms include, sudden high fever, rash, joint pain, severe headache and eye pain. If it is the more serious hemorrhagic fever, excitability and small specks of blood, caused by capillary bleeding, may appear beneath the skin. Bruises may appear and the nose and gums may bleed easily.
Features
-
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is caused by the dengue virus, and is usually transmitted to people via a mosquito bite. The aedus aegypti mosquitoes are the most common carriers. These mosquitoes acquire the pathogen after biting a dengue-infected person.
-
Effects
-
Dengue hemorrhagic fever causes weight loss due to the patient's loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. Decreased appetite may last even after other symptoms have gone. Fluids lost through hemorrhage, vomit and diarrhea upset the electrolyte balance, which often sends the patient into shock. Internal hemorrhaging can also occur, which increases the likelihood of shock.
Although complications from this virus are not always fatal, the risk is naturally higher for those who don't get medical attention. Long-term effects of dengue fever are often mild and the disease is rarely fatal. Long-term effects of dengue hemorrhagic fever, however, can include damage to the brain and other organs, especially if medical help was delayed.
Prevention/Solution
-
Prevent dengue fever by preventing mosquito bites, especially in areas where the Aedus mosquito is common. Those who've had the virus once should take extra precautions not to contract it again since re-infection may lead to hemorrhagic fever.
Medical personnel treat dengue hemorrhagic fever patients with fluids, either orally or intravenously, and, sometimes, blood transfusions.
Loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea all throw electrolytes off-balance, and can lead to shock. Therefore, physicians also prescribe supplemental electrolyte solutions when necessary.
Pain medicine is often used to keep patients as comfortable as possible.
Considerations
-
Although dengue outbreaks are not common in the United States, the mosquito that can carry the virus lives in many states, and outbreaks do occur occasionally.
Four kinds of the dengue virus exist. Anyone can contract dengue fever more than once, as the body won't develop immunity to all via exposure to one. In fact, those who've had a prior case of dengue fever are at higher risk for a more severe case if they acquire the virus again.
Geography
-
According to the CDC and the World Health Organization, dengue fever is most common in warm tropical climates. This includes parts of Asia, namely China, Singapore and Thailand, areas in Africa, and Central and South America, namely Brazil, Colombia and Puerto Rico. Some cases have occurred in the United States. Wherever the aedus mosquito exists, dengue outbreaks can occur.
-
