Dengue Fever Symptoms

What are the characteristics of Dengue fever?

The Dengue virus travels to various glands in the body where it multiples. It then travels to the bloodstream, affecting some changes to these blood vessels. The virus may cause the blood vessels to swell and leak. The spleen and lymph nodes may also become swollen. Patches of liver tissue may die. Furthermore, a process known as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) occurs. During this process, chemicals used to clot blood are used up, and thus severe bleeding (hemorrhage) occurs internally as well as the skin.

The signs and symptoms of Dengue fever are as follows:

- High fever (104 F, 40°C)
- Chills
- Headache
- Red eyes, pain in the eyes
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Deep muscle and joint pains (during first hours of illness)
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Low blood pressure and heart rate
- Extreme fatigue

Basically, dengue commences with high fever and other signs as listed above for 2 to 4 days. Then, the temperature drops rapidly and intense sweating takes place. After about a day with normal temperature and a feeling of well-being, the temperature rises abruptly again. Rashes (small red bumps) show up on the arms, legs and the entire body simultaneously along with fever. However, rashes rarely occur on the face. The palms of the hands and soles of the feet may be swollen and bright red. Although the patient may feel exhausted for several weeks, most cases of dengue take approximately one week to recover. Once a person recovers from dengue, he or she will have antibodies in their bloodstream which will prevent them from having a relapse for about a year.