Hydration and clinical warning signs of dengue fever in primary care: An observational prospective study

• Published in: Infectious diseases now (Online) 2023-06, Vol.53 (4), p.104708-104708, Article 104708
• Main Authors: Besnard, O., Maillard, O., Franco, J-M., Lebreton, N., Reix, G., Legrand, F., Bertolotti, A., Leruste, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dengue; Fluid therapy; Life Sciences; Oral rehydration therapy; Primary health care; Santé publique et épidémiologie
• ISSN: 2666-9919; 2666-9919
• DOI: 10.1016/j.idnow.2023.104708

•Dengue fever is an arbovirosis expanding worldwide and in Reunion Island, whose main treatment is oral hydration in primary care.•Oral hydration of Reunionese patients was higher than the recommendations of the World Health Organization.•Drinking at least 5 glasses of liquid in the previous 24 hours was significantly associated with fewer clinical warning signs (p = 0.044).•Adequate hydration could reduce the severity of dengue in primary care. Dengue fever is an arbovirosis expanding worldwide, for which hydration has been reported to reduce the risk of hospitalization. Our objective was to estimate the volume of hydration in Reunionese patients with dengue. A prospective observational study included patients presenting with a ‘dengue-like’ syndrome in ambulatory care. General practitioners recruited patients during consultation, and beverage consumption over the previous 24 hours was reported at two different times. Warning signs were defined according to the 2009 WHO guidelines. GPs included 174 patients from April to July 2019. Average oral hydration volume was 1863 mL and 1944 mL, at the 1st and 2nd medical consultations, respectively. Water was the most wide consumed liquid. Drinking at least 5 glasses of liquid was significantly associated with fewer clinical warning signs at the 1st medical consultation (p = 0.044). Sufficient hydration volume could prevent dengue warning signs. Further studies with standardized measurement of hydration would be needed.