Prevalence and clinical manifestations of dengue in older patients in Bangkok Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Thailand

Abstract

Abstract Background The global incidence of dengue has increased with the ageing population. We examined the prevalence, clinical manifestations and risk factors associated with dengue severity among older patients. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a hospital in Thailand from 2013 to 2018. Data were collected from patient records. Older patients were those aged ≥60 y, whereas adult patients were aged at least 18 y but younger than 60 y. Results In total, 1822 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of older dengue was 7.96%. Older dengue patients were at a higher risk of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) than adult dengue patients (40.69% vs 30.71%). Haematuria was significantly more frequent in older patients (24.82% vs 3.58%), whereas other clinical manifestations had similar frequencies between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that hypertension (adjusted OR [aOR]=3.549, 95% CI 1.498 to 8.407) and abdominal pain (aOR=10.904, 95% CI 1.037 to 114.710) were significantly associated with DHF among older patients. Conclusions Dengue is common in older adults, who also have a higher incidence of developing DHF. Older patients with dengue and comorbid hypertension and abdominal pain should be monitored for their increasing risk of DHF.