The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) data for dengue indicated that the hospitalizations till September have increased by 23% – from 742 in 2021 to 916 in 2022. Of these, two-thirds are in government hospitals.
Dr Vivek Dave, a critical care specialist, said that the number of young and middle-aged patients are higher this year. “The main reason for hospitalization is thrombocytopenia or platelet depletion. It needs hospitalization as it can lead to complications like severe capillary leakage syndrome, which leads to multi-organ failure or acute kidney injury,” he said, adding that about 30-35% patients need hospitalization due to complications.
Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said that in 30 days, they have admitted 150 patients – or five patients daily. Many have recorded complications, primarily related to fast-depleting platelets. “Fever OPDs in the past two months have touched 1 lakh,” he said. Dr Chetan Trivedi, a city paediatrician, said that the relatively higher number of kids and teens being diagnosed with dengue is owing to the clusters of mosquitoes in open areas around the educational institutions.
“Dengue fever usually subsides in five days, but in some cases, it extends for seven days or beyond. In such cases, critical care is important to avoid complications,” he said. “It’s very likely that the serotype of the infection is different and should be studied to decide on the treatment protocol.” “Dengue shock is severe form of dengue infection and can affect multiple organs,” said Dr Jigar Mehta, a city-based critical care specialist. “Fever that doesn’t subside in two days should not be ignored. Hydration is important in the initial phase and so is proper rest.” Experts said that patients often take it easy once the fever subsides, but then the platelet count dips.
(With inputs from Jignesh Parmar)
