{"id":5869,"date":"2019-04-22T04:28:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T04:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=5869"},"modified":"2022-02-07T09:25:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T09:25:23","slug":"14-common-symptoms-of-dengue-fever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-common-symptoms-of-dengue-fever\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Symptoms of Dengue Fever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dengue fever is a rare disease that affects less than 20,000 people in the U.S. each year. It is caused by being bitten by a mosquito in tropical and subtropical areas. Most people in the U.S. who contract the disease usually get it because they have traveled abroad and were bitten by a mosquito. The dengue fever has increased along the Mexico-Texas border and in 2009 there was a case in the state of Florida. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the mosquito bites, the disease travels through the blood and can be passed along to another person. There are eight common symptoms of dengue fever to watch out for. The symptoms usually begin four to six days after being bitten and last for about 10 days. Dengue fever can be treated, but if you\u2019re bitten again, you can develop dengue hemorrhagic fever. Once you notice the symptoms, it\u2019s important to go seek treatment right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. High fever <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

High fever <\/a>is common with dengue fever. When a person has a high fever for a long period of time, seeking treatment is the only course of action. You can rest for a couple of days, but the fever won\u2019t go away. The reason for the high fever is that the mosquito bite is making you ill. The only way you\u2019re going to get the fever to go down is by going into the emergency room and getting IV fluids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will help lower your fever and treat dengue fever at the same time. Before you go to the hospital, you can take pain relievers to help lower your fever, but if that doesn\u2019t work, you will need to go to the hospital. Most of the time a hospital stay isn\u2019t needed unless your fever is unbearable. It\u2019s also important to get lots of fluids when you have a fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Vomiting <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vomiting <\/a>is a common symptom of dengue fever. You may think that you\u2019re coming down with the flu, but in reality, you have dengue fever. Since you\u2019re vomiting, you won\u2019t be able to eat much. Drinking a lot of fluids will help out a lot. Drink chicken and beef broth until you can eat solid foods again. If you\u2019re vomiting for an entire week, you should seek medical attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not good for your organs when you\u2019re constantly vomiting. When you go in to see a doctor, they will check your blood to see what is going on. The doctor should find out that you have dengue fever and take the necessary steps to heal you. The doctor may want to place it in the hospital if your vomiting is too bad. A lot of the times when you\u2019re vomiting you have a fever as well. You\u2019ll get the necessary fluids into your body before they release you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Severe headache <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Severe headache <\/a>occurs when you have dengue fever because the infection is taking over your body. You can take pain relievers to help with your headaches. The pain relievers may work for a while, but in severe cases, the pills won\u2019t do too much. When you have a severe headache, strong painkillers are the only thing that will do the trick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ER medical staff will give you IV fluids and strong medication to help with your headaches. You may have to stay in the hospital overnight unless they feel like you\u2019re improving. Once you get the right medicine in your body, you should start to heal and feel better. When you leave the ER, you will have to follow up with an infectious disease doctor who will keep an eye on your condition. The doctor wants to make sure you\u2019re not having any reoccurring headaches and the infection is gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Joint and muscle pain <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Joint and muscle pain are common symptoms you\u2019ll have when you have dengue <\/a>fever. The joint and muscle pain that you\u2019ll have will be severe. The pain will cause you to be unable to stand or walk for too long. You can take Ibuprofen or Tylenol for the pain, but you\u2019ll have to continue taking it in order to get relief. Topical analgesics can be applied to sore muscles and joints as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice none of these methods are working too well, you should speak with your primary care physician who can diagnose what you really have. The primary care physician may just believe that you have arthritis, but if you have dengue fever and it never gets treated, it can become life-threatening. Sometimes it\u2019s good to talk to more than one doctor, especially if you feel that your doctor isn\u2019t giving you the answers you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Bleeding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bleeding <\/a>occurs when you have dengue fever. The bleeding that occurs is mild, but you could have a nose bleed or bleeding gums. When this happens, people may not pay too much attention to it because bleeding gums occur when you have dental issues. Nose bleeds shouldn\u2019t be something that is common to a person. Even if you have mild bleeding, you should speak with your doctor, so he or she can take care of the situation. A blood test can determine if you have dengue fever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the reason you\u2019re having mild bleeding because of dengue fever. Your doctor will tell you what you need to do or take in order to stop the bleeding. It can be embarrassing to have a nose bleed because it can happen at any time and anywhere. The same thing applies to bleeding gums. You could be in the middle of talking with someone and your gums are bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Pain behind your eyes <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pain behind your eyes is a common symptom of dengue fever. Pain behind the eyes can mean a lot of things to a person. It could mean you need your eyes examined or you\u2019re stressed out about something. If you happen to get your eyes examined and you find out that you\u2019re still having pain behind your eyes, you\u2019ll need to visit your primary care physician<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary care physician will want to know how long you\u2019ve been having these pains and what you have done to treat them yourself. After conducting blood and urine tests, the physician will diagnose you with dengue fever. If you\u2019re having mild pain, the physician may just prescribe fluid therapy. On the other hand, if you\u2019re having serious pain, he or she may put you in the hospital for a couple of days. The sooner you notice the pain behind your eyes, the sooner you can start the healing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Fatigue <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fatigue <\/a>is common with dengue fever. Dengue fever will make you feel ill, so fatigue is common. You won\u2019t be able to do much of anything because you\u2019ll want to lie down all of the time. You\u2019ll need to get some fluids inside of you during this time because if you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll just feel worse. If the fatigue lasts too long you will need to speak with a medical professional who can diagnose what you have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You shouldn\u2019t let it go on for so long. It may not go away as quickly as you want it to. It\u2019s not like dengue fever can\u2019t be treated. After you have been fatigued for a few days and it\u2019s not going away, talk to a medical professional. You may need more than fluids to get rid of it. If you wait too long, you may have to stay in the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Rash <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The rash <\/a>is another common symptom to have with dengue fever. The rash usually occurs between two to five days after you develop a fever. The rash can occur anywhere on your body. Since dengue fever comes from mosquitoes, when the mosquito bit you, you may have developed a rash. Depending on where the mosquito bit you, you may not notice it right away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the mosquito bit you on your back, you may not notice it, unless it\u2019s itchy and you have someone examine your back. You can try hydrocortisone cream for the rash to see if it\u2019ll go away. If it doesn\u2019t then only a doctor can get rid of it. The doctor will take a sample of your blood to see if there is anything there. Once it comes back that you have dengue fever, your doctor will take you to take Tylenol and drink plenty of fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Swollen Lymph Nodes and Glands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients dealing with Dengue fever experience an overwhelm of the immune system. The immune system resides throughout the body, with most of it dwelling in the gastrointestinal system. The rest occurs in the vital organs like the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen, and it’s responsible for protecting the body from invading pathogens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the immune system starts clearing the infection, it sends waste products to the lymphatic system when the lymphatic fluid expels it from the body. When the immune system works in hyperdrive to clear dengue fever, the patient may notice swelling in the lymph nodes in the upper legs alongside the groin and under the arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lymph nodes<\/a> will feel warm and tender to touch. The inflammation may also extend to other glands under the chin and throat, causing pain and swelling. As the infection subsides, the glands and lymph nodes will return to normal size, and the heat and pain fade away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Cognitive Problems and Headache<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients with Dengue fever may experience issues involving a downregulation in cognitive activity, causing confusion and disorientation. It’s common for patients in the advanced stages of the disease to be confused about where they are and what they are doing in the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the early warning signs of Dengue fever infection is a headache. The headache occurs due to the immune system releasing cytokines<\/a> and pyrogens to increase body temperature. The pathogen responsible for causing dengue fever will cause the immune system to react by elevating body temperature to create an inhospitable environment for the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, these changes interfere with the normal cognitive function of the brain, resulting in the headache and disorientation symptoms experienced by the patient. In most cases, the patient will experience a full recovery from these effects of the disease as they recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, patients will fully recover without experiencing lasting damage to the nervous system or the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Rapid Breathing and Restlessness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients with Dengue fever infection may notice that they start to experience changes in their breathing. The respiratory effects of the disease may change the way patients absorb oxygen through the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, the patient expels more carbon dioxide with each breath than the oxygen they take in. However, patients with a Dengue fever infection experience a reduction in carbon dioxide<\/a> expulsion, resulting in the accumulation of the waste product in the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, they start to experience shortness of breath. Even if the patient takes huge breaths, they will feel like they are not getting enough air, and they may require oxygen therapy to stabilize their breathing and get enough oxygen to the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without oxygen supplementation, the patient will begin to experience rapid breathing and restlessness as the body struggles to cope with the reduction of oxygen caused by the disease. However, provided the patient is under medical care, they should fully recover without any lasting damage to the respiratory system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Unbearable Stomach Pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some patients with Dengue fever may experience abdominal cramps. Medical science is unsure as to the cause of the cramps in the patient. However, since most of the immune system resides in the gut, some experts believe it’s a sign that the immune system is working to eliminate the pathogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the disease progresses, the patient may notice that the cramping continues to worsen, and they may end up with severe restlessness as they cannot find a comfortable lying position to avoid the pain. The tossing and turning caused by the abdominal cramps can disturb the patient’s sleep, which is critical for recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s challenging to fall asleep when you’re tossing and turning, and your stomach hurts. As a result, many patients experience delirium from being unable to sleep, combined with the fever and cognitive effects of the disease on the body and brain. As the immune system fights the pathogen, the stomach cramping will begin to subside, and the patient will make a full recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Swollen Liver<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The liver <\/a>is one of the largest organs in the body, and it also holds the most blood volume. As a result, the patient may find that their liver starts to swell and feel tender to touch. As the blood accumulates in the liver, the organ may have a hard time removing the pathogen during the peak of the infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the patient may start to notice their skin turns light yellow, and the whites of the eyes also change to a yellowish tinge. This discoloration of the skin and eyes is known as “jaundice” and a sign of severe liver distress. The doctor will have to treat the patient to reduce the toxicity on the liver and remove the yellow coloring from the skin and eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, the liver is a self-repairing organ. Therefore, any damage done to it during the onset of Dengue fever is usually reversible, with no lasting damage to the liver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Blood in Vomit or Stool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients who experience Dengue fever infection may also notice that they start to experience vomiting and diarrhea. These responses occur because the body wants to rid itself of the pathogen rapidly. However, the patient may experience blood in the stool or vomit in some cases. The blood is easier to identify in vomit<\/a>, as it’s easy to spot the red timing to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it’s more challenging to identify blood in the stool. Our body excretes red blood cells through our stool every day. This process is one of the reasons why stool is brown. The other is because of the excretion of bilirubin by the liver. However, patients with blood in the stool will notice that it turns black and tarry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sign of Dengue fever infection typically only occurs in extreme cases of the disease, and it’s a sign that the patient is undergoing severe distress from the pathogen invading their body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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