Imaging in Dengue Fever

Abstract

Dengue is a viral disease caused by a flavivirus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in tropical regions but has spread to regions of Europe, subtropical regions, and South America. The clinic is varied, so imaging methods are important before having a positive confirmatory test. Clinically, dengue is a disease that increases vascular permeability with loss of plasma and albumin, causing polyserotis. The most accessible imaging methods in the emergency room are chest radiography and abdominal ultrasound. Chest radiography shows that the most frequent finding is pleural effusion. Abdominal ultrasound has several findings, including thickened gallbladder wall, ascites, and hepatic and splenomegaly. The thickened gallbladder wall is an indicator of disease severity since the more severe the thickening, the more severe the clinical picture. The patient’s platelet count is also related to the ultrasound findings, since the lower the platelet count, the more severe is the thickened gallbladder wall. The differential diagnosis of dengue should include other febrile states such as influenza, Zika, Chikungunya, and COVID-19.