Dengue NS1 Antigen Positivity in the Blood and its Impact on Platelet Counts

BACKGROUND: Dengue fever is one of the common reasons for hospital admissions in tropical countries like India. Early diagnosis and proper triage are necessary to reduce morbidity and mortality. Detecting NS1 dengue antigens in the blood helps in the early diagnosis of the illness. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To predict the magnitude of platelet drop in dengue patients (NS1 antigen-positive versus negative test) admitted to our hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted in a multispecialty tertiary care hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 (24 months). It included twenty random dengue NS1-positive serology (Group-A) and twenty random dengue NS1-negative serology (Group-B) patients who were admitted to the hospital during this study period. The demographic data, the trend of platelet count, duration of hospital stay, and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included in both Group A and Group B. There were 07 males and 13 females in Group A whereas 13 males and 07 females in Group B. The average age in Group A was 30.05 years where whereas in Group B it was 31.70 years. The average days of fever to test positivity in Group A and Group B were 3.8 and 4.45 days respectively. More patients in Group A (7 patients) were admitted to the Intensive care units (ICU) as compared to Group B (4 patients). There was a significant drop in platelet count on day 5 of admission in Group A as compared to Group B. The duration of hospital stay was 5.7 days in Group A and 4.6 days in Group B. All 20 patients survived in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our observation shows that the majority of the patients with dengue NS1 positive serology had a more drastic fall in platelet count on day 5 of admission as compared to negative dengue NS1 serology. These results should be confirmed by large observational studies.