A Case Series of Severe Dengue with Neurological Presentation in Children from a Colombian Hyperendemic Area

Autores organización

• 

  Jaime Eduardo Castellanos Parra

  Autor

• 

  Eliana Patricia Calvo Tapiero

  Autor

• 

  Myriam Lucia Velandia Romero

  Autor

Autores

• Esteban, P
• Panqueba-Salgado, J
• Benavides-del-Castillo, D
• Pastrana, V
• Acosta, G
• Salgado, D
• Narvaez, CF
• Camacho-Ortega, S

Grupos de investigación

• Grupo de Virología

  

  Investigador

  Jaime Eduardo Castellanos Parra

Resumen

Dengue transmission is sustained in Colombia with increasing prevalence mainly in children. This work aimed to describe a case series of children diagnosed with dengue presenting neurological disease in Huila Province of Colombia. Eleven pediatric febrile patients confirmed for dengue disease and presenting neurological signs were studied in the University Hospital of Neiva, Huila Province. Clinical and laboratory findings, CSF cytochemical analysis, neurology images, and serology and molecular studies were performed. Viral RNA was detected in all patients' sera by RT-PCR. Nine out of 11 were primary infections. Tonic-clonic seizures (73%), consciousness alterations (27%), irritability (27%), and ataxia (18%) were the most frequent neurological signs. None of the patients had plasma leakage, hypovolemic shock, or liver disease, confirming the encephalitis diagnosis. Diagnostic images did not show abnormal findings, but neither bacterial nor fungal infections were detected in CSF analysis. All patients survived without sequelae except for one patient that presented ataxia for months. In conclusion, we described a group of children with neurological signs during severe dengue disease as the main finding, indicating the importance to including dengue as a differential diagnosis in neurological patients from endemic areas.

Copyright © 2021 Jaime E. Castellanos et al.

Keywords

• virus RNA; abdominal tenderness; altered state of consciousness; Article; asthenia; ataxia; case report; case study; cerebrospinal fluid analysis; child; clinical article; clinical feature; Colombia; convulsion; coughing; cyanosis; cytochemistry; dehydration; diarrhea; encephalitis; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; epigastric pain; epistaxis; female; fever; headache; hepatomegaly; human; human tissue; hypersalivation; hypoactivity; hyporeflexia; hypotension; hypovolemic shock; infant; irritability; liver disease; male; muscle hypotonia; mydriasis; nausea; neurologic disease; pallor; pandemic; pediatric patient; petechia; preschool child; primary infection; rash; real time polymerase chain reaction; respiratory distress; school child; serology; severe dengue; stupor; tachycardia; tachypnea; tonic clonic seizure; vomiting; wheezing