Dengue Fever among Patients Visiting the Outpatient Department of Dermatology in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dengue is in an increasing trend in our part of the world mostly due to global warming, It can present with various manifestations including cutaneous manifestations. The main objective of our study was to find out the prevalence of dengue fever among patients visiting the Outpatient Department of Dermatology in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients visiting the Outpatient Department of Dermatology in a tertiary care centre after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 09092022\04). Data from 1 June 2022 to 8 September 2022 were collected between 1 December 2022 to 20 February 2023 from the hospital records. The laboratory data of individuals were analyzed to find out the prevalence of dengue fever. A Visual Analogue Scale was used to assess the severity of pruritus. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 7442 patients, dengue fever was found to be in 202 (2.71%) (2.34-3.08, 95% Confidence Interval) patients. The mean duration of fever was 3.02±2.960 days. The mean duration of onset of rash after having a fever was 2.56±2.032 days. The most common cutaneous manifestation was maculopapular rash 70 (34.65%). Conclusions: The prevalence of dengue fever was found to be lower than in the studies done in similar settings.