Researchers look at biomarkers which can predict dengue severity
Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Virology in Kerala are conducting a large-scale study to identify biomarkers that can predict the severity of dengue fever. The goal is to develop an affordable, bedside diagnostic tool to help clinicians manage hospital resources more effectively during outbreaks.
Why it matters
Developing early prognostic tools for dengue could significantly reduce mortality rates and prevent the overcrowding of healthcare systems in endemic regions.
Dengue has always remained one of the challenging tropical diseases because of the disease’s propensity to suddenly worsen when the patient is apparently recovering. Clinicians cannot reliably predict which of the patients with apparently uncomplicated dengue will suddenly take a turn for the worse and go into haemorrhagic shock.
Even though the WHO recommends the monitoring of certain red flags or critical signals such as persistent vomiting, abdominal pain, mucosal bleeding from the nose or gums, lethargy, these warning signs usually appear only after the underlying pathological process has been set in motion.
In the last two decades, much global research has gone into understanding and identifying biomarkers (measurable biological indicators) that can predict complications of dengue during the early febrile phase.
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