Study on changes in a subset of full blood count parameters of patients with dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever presented to teaching hospital – Kurunegala, Sri Lanka – a descriptive cross-sectional study

Nearly half of the patients were admitted on day five, which increases the risk of not being able to identify the critical phase early, which may have a significant impact on the outcome. The results confirm the value of dropping platelet count and rising haematocrit value as the markers of leaking. Higher white blood cell count observed in both leakers and non-leakers during the convalescence phase indicates that it can be used as a predictive factor of identifying the patient entering the convalescent phase.