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Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics and Risk Factors for Fatality in Elderly Patients with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

To better understand the clinical and laboratory characteristics and to identify risk factor(s) for fatality in elderly patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), 66 elderly (age 65 years) and 241 non-elderly adults (age, 19–64 years) with DHF were retrospectively analyzed. Compared with non-elderly adults, elderly individuals had significantly lower incidences of fever (P = 0.002), abdominal pain (P = 0.003), bone pain (P < 0.001), and skin rashes (P = 0.002); higher frequencies of concurrent bacteremia (P = 0.049), gastrointestinal bleeding (P = 0.044), acute renal failure (P = 0.001), and pleural effusion (P < 0.010); higher incidence of prolonged prothrombin time (P = 0.025); lower mean hemoglobin level (P < 0.001); longer hospitalization (P = 0.049); and a higher fatality rate (P = 0.006). Five elderly patients with DHF died. When compared with non-fatal elderly patients with DHF, a significant higher frequency in men (P = 0.019), those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P = 0.008), those with dengue shock syndrome (DSS; P < 0.001), and those with acute renal failure (P < 0.001) was found in the elderly counterparts that died. Multivariate analysis showed that only DSS (odd ratio = 77.33, P = 0.001) was an independent risk factor for fatality in elderly patients.

Received October 2, 2007. Accepted for publication April 10, 2008.

^* Address correspondence to Jien-Wei Liu, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, 123, Ta Pei Road, Niao Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung Hsien 833, Taiwan. E-mail: 88b0{at}adm.cgmh.org.tw

Authors’ addresses: Ing-Kit Lee and Jien-Wei Liu, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan. Kuender D. Yang, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I.-K. Lee, J.-W. Liu, and K. D. Yang Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Outcomes in Adults Experiencing Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Complicated with Acute Renal Failure Am J Trop Med Hyg, April 1, 2009; 80(4): 651 - 655. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]