What is the normal platelet count?

In an adult, a normal count is about 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter (x 10 6 /Liter) of blood.

If platelet levels fall below 20,000 per microliter, spontaneous bleeding may occur and is considered a life-threatening risk .Patients suffering from dengue hemorrhagic fever,have a high possibility of spontaneous bleeding and must be manage promptly and accordingly. It is the usual practice to monitor the platelet count every 24 hours if a patient is being suspected to have the dengue virus once the platelet falls lower than 200,000 /mcl, and a reading below 150,000 is usually advised admission to a hospital for further evaluation and management.
In patients who have a bone marrow disease, such as leukemia or another cancer in the bone marrow, often experience excessive bleeding due to a significantly decreased number of platelets (thrombocytopenia). As the number of cancer cells increases in the bone marrow, normal bone marrow cells are crowded out, resulting in fewer platelet-producing cells.

Low number of platelets may be seen in some patients with long-term bleeding problems (e.g., chronic bleeding stomach ulcers), thus reducing the supply of platelets. Decreased platelet counts may also be seen in patients with Gram-negative sepsis

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

What is Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever?

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a more severe form of the viral illness. Manifestations include headache, fever, rash, and evidence of hemorrhage in the body. Petechiae (small red or purple blisters under the skin), bleeding in the nose or gums, black stools, or easy bruising are all possible signs of hemorrhage. This form of dengue fever can be life-threatening and can progress to the most severe form of the illness, dengue shock syndrome.

What are the signs and symptoms of Dengue Fever?

A.Abrupt symptom onset 3-15 days after Mosquito Bite
B.Undulant Fever
1.Fever falls on Day 3
2.Fever rises again later
C.Chills
D.Sever frontal Headache
E.Arthralgias
F.Bone pain
G.Rash
1.Red Morbilliform or punctate rash
2.Rash starts on hands and feet
3.Rash spreads to trunk

What is New in Treatment of Dengue?

Given that dengue is an infection, treatment can be performed using the simple concept of 'getting rid of the pathogen and limiting the complications'. In general, the use of supportive and symptomatic treatment is widely used for dengue treatment, aiming to limit the complications of the infection. The application of fluid therapy has become key in dengue management and this is applied based on the severity of disease. In simple dengue, oral fluid replacement is sufficient and there is no need for hospitalization. In severe cases of dengue infection, fluid replacement should be carefully used and must be performed under close observation in a hospital. Parenteral, intravenous fluid replacement by either colloids or crystalloids should be considered in order to prevent shock.[51] The basic recommendation for intravenous fluid-replacement therapy is administration of 0.9% normal saline solution at a rate of 20 ml/kg/h in the first 2 h, followed by 10 ml/kg/h for 6 h, then the rate can be adjusted according to the status of the patient in the following 16 h.

image from A.D.A.M., DOH Website