Cardiac Manifestations in Dengue

Aim: To study the prevalence of cardiac manifestations in patients of dengue fever. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was done in a tertiary care hospital conducted for a period of 2 years from September 2016 to October 2018. Methods: Patients with complaints of fever and suspected to have dengue were subjected to dengue serology. Confirmed cases of dengue were then classified according to the World Health Organization criteria into dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome. The assessment of cardiac manifestations was done based on electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, and cardiac marker. The data was analyzed using statistical significance tests. Results: Out of 60 patients, 36 (60%) were male and 24 (40%) were female, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. The mean age of the patients was 38 +/- 16.69 years. Patients of dengue fever, DHF, and dengue shock syndrome were 51, 7, and 2 respectively. The most common ECG abnormality was sinus bradycardia seen in 9 (15%) patients, followed by sinus tachycardia in 6 (10%) and ST-T changes in 5 (8.33%). Echocardiography was normal in 54 (90%) patients, systolic dysfunction was found in 4 (6.67%) patients, and pericardial effusion was found in 2 (3.33%) patients. Eight (13.33%) patients had abnormal creatine kinase-muscle/brain values. Conclusion: Cardiac manifestations are common in dengue fever, seen in one-third of the patients. Platelet counts < 100,000/mm3 and a higher hematocrit are more likely to be associated with cardiac manifestations.