Dengue Fever Treatment

There are no specific medications for treating dengue fever. The viral infection usually resolves within a week or two and in the meantime, the illness can be managed using paracetamol to relive pain and fever.

In rare cases, patients go on to develop severe dengue, a fatal outcome that can lead to shock or a sudden fall in blood pressure referred to as dengue shock syndrome. Severe dengue can also lead to organ damage and internal bleeding and this condition is called dengue hemorrhagic fever. Hospitalization is very important in these cases.

Some examples of the treatments advised for dengue infection include:

  • Plenty of bed rest
  • Staying well hydrated by drinking lots of water. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages should be avoided.
  • Paracetamol can be taken to relieve symptoms of pain and fever. Ibuprofen and aspirin, however, should be avoided as these agents can cause internal bleeding in patients with dengue fever.
  • If someone starts to bleed from the nose or other sites, they may have dengue hemorrhagic fever, in which case they should be hospitalized. In dengue haemorrhagic fever, treatment is aimed at maintaining the patient’s circulating fluid volume. A lowered blood platelet count is responsible for the bleeding symptoms and may be treated with a platelet transfusion.
  • Recovery may take up to six weeks, during which time the patient may be weak and susceptible to secondary infections. Appropriate rest, nutrition and care is necessary during this period.

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 17, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

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Comments

  1. Niranjan Bakshi Niranjan Bakshi India says:

    It is brought to the notice of Dr Ananya Mandal, MD,that a lowered blood platelet count is not responsible for the bleeding symptoms as stated in her article. In low platelet count, dehydration is the cause bleeding and not low platelet count. Dr. Richard Mata, in his article 'Solving Dengue Fever' quoted an example that in an Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP case a patient remains normal even with 10K platelet count,  if the patient is always hydrated. Platelet transfusion may present a wrong picture of the water/fluid leak of the Dengue infected patient, hence it should be avoided and proper hydration should be maintained.

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