OBSERVED CHANGES IN THE HAEMOGRAM FROM PATIENTS PRESENTING DENGUE FEVER AT SÃO JOSE DO CALÇADO COUNTY, ES, BRAZIL

Abstract

Dengue is a viral disease that is becoming one of the most significant public health problems in the world. In Brazil, dengue virus infection becomes increasingly frequent, affecting the population of all States. The present study aimed to identify and describe the frequency of patient blood count changes that had positive IgM serology for dengue. From January to April of 2016, 656 patients were reported with suspected disease. Of these, 498 patients presented positive IgM serology. This paper presents a retrospective descriptive study, in which we carried out a critical analysis of the blood count data of these patients to obtain the frequency of hematologic changes. Among the studied cases, the female population was the most affected by the disease, with 52 % of prevalence. Referring to age, people over 50 years were the most affected, with 35.5 % prevalence. The most frequent hematological changes were a leucopenia, which was present in 57.7 % of patients, followed by predominantly thrombocytopenia in 32.0 % of cases, lymphopenia in 21.7 % and increased hematocrit (HCT) in 14.8%. Factors such as viral genetics and immune response to be different among patients, the frequency of these changes may vary according to the region and the studied population. The blood count is critical because of its significant contribution to the decision of medical management due to the occurrence of possible critical cases.