What kind of tests are done for dengue fever?

In Bangladesh, more than 2,000 people have been infected with dengue fever every day for the last few days. A total of 1,19,133 dengue cases and 569 deaths have been reported so far this season.

A person can get infected by the Aedes mosquito, which carries the dengue virus.

Doctors say that if the right treatment is taken at the right time, there is no risk of death. But ignoring the disease can lead to complications.

The U.S. CDC, however, says one in four people with dengue is at risk, and severe dengue can quickly become life-threatening, requiring hospitalization.

According to the company’s website, fever is usually a symptom of the disease. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever. However, symptoms usually last from two to seven days, and most patients recover within a week.

However, doctors say that after the fever subsides or the patient recovers, the platelet count in the patient’s blood may decrease and then there may be complications including bleeding.

Therefore, after the fever goes away, doctors advise the patient to be careful and follow the rules.

The CDC says there is no specific treatment for dengue. Instead, doctors treat the symptoms. (such as fever).

Dr Sazzad Hossain of Bangabandhu Medical University in Dhaka said dengue NS1 antigen, antibody test, CBC (including platelet count) test are usually enough for a person suffering from dengue fever.

However, if the patient’s condition is complicated or there is a problem like bleeding, then some more tests need to be done.

There is no need to test

In Bangladesh, the incidence of this fever usually increases during the rainy season and the number of cases has been increasing every year since 2000.

The CDC says a blood test is the only way to know if you have dengue. But doctors say there are a number of blood tests that one or more often have to be done to understand the patient’s condition.

Below are some of the most common tests:
Dengue NS1

According to the US CDC, this test can show whether someone is dengue positive or not. This test can detect the disease at the beginning of infection with the dengue virus.

Doctors in Dhaka say the result of the dengue NS1 test is expected to be positive from the first day of the fever. On the fourth or fifth day, it becomes negative. But after a long time, there is no use in doing this.

Even if the test is negative in the beginning, it cannot be said with certainty that dengue fever has not occurred. Doctors usually decide to combine the results of the test with other signs and symptoms. Because sometimes if NS1 is positive one day, it can be negative the next day.

Sajjad Hossain said that if the test is done on the first day of the fever, the chances of getting the result are high.

Dengue IgM

The CDC says this test can better detect the dengue virus in a person’s body.

Usually, if 4/5 of the fever has passed and there is no test in between, this test can confirm whether it is positive or not. Therefore, doctors usually allow this test to be done five days after the onset of fever.

But if 9/10 days have passed after the onset of fever, then this test can also show only negative. This test is done five days after someone has a fever, that is, on the sixth day, which can be done for six weeks. If the blood is IgM positive, it means that the patient currently has an infection.

Md Raihan, a doctor at a government hospital at the upazila level, says that if the NS1 deadline is passed, the antibody test can be seen whether dengue is positive or not, and it may be necessary to do the IgM test first and then the IgG test.
IGG

Dr. Sajjad Hossain says that this test is given to understand the immune system of the body.

The immune system makes antibodies to protect the body from various infections, including bacteria or viruses. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to fight infections.

A lower-than-normal IgG index means that the body is unable to produce enough antibodies and is at risk for infection.

If the blood is IgG positive, it means that the patient had an infection before and now he has been infected with dengue for the second time.

And getting infected with dengue the second time means a lot of risk and then special precautions have to be taken.

Complete blood count (CBC)

Dr. Sajjad Hossain says that this test is very important for a basic idea about the body and it is basically a holistic blood test.

Although known as the CBC test, it is actually a test profile. It contains many important information, including blood platelet count.

This test measures the concentration of essential cell components in the blood, as well as evaluating whether there are any abnormalities in the body.

That is, doctors give this test to understand some important things such as whether the patient has an infection, whether the blood cells are normal or how the hemoglobin level is.

For example, platelets work by carrying oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body, fighting red blood cells or bacteria, trying to protect the body from infection, stopping white blood cells or bleeding, and forming blood clots.

A CBC test is required.

It is also important to see the hematocrit for patients with dengue fever. A hematocrit measures how many red blood cells are in the blood.

Also, low levels of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red blood cells can lead to anemia.

Also, excess water in the body can lead to bone marrow problems or leukemia.
prothrombin time or pt

The prothrombin time, or PT, is a test that measures how long it takes for plasma to clot in the liquid part of the blood.

The performance of a part of the clotting or coagulation system can be measured in this test.

Doctors often recommend this test to determine the cause of abnormal bleeding or to know how well the liver is working.

The International Normalized Ratio or INR

The International Normalized Ratio, or INR, is a blood test that measures how long it takes for blood to clot.

Basically, after knowing how fast the blood clots through the PT test, those results can be expressed as INR.

It determines how long it takes for blood to clot.
Bleeding Time or BTCT

Blood clotting time or BTCT test can be used to determine the thirteen factors of blood. This test is usually done prior to surgery.

As a result, the doctor gets an idea of how long the patient’s blood will clot after the operation.

This test is not required for dengue patients. However, if the doctor thinks that there is a special complication, then he can recommend this test.

Dr. Sajjad Hossain says that these tests are mainly to understand the bleeding disorder.

There are also a variety of tests that doctors can recommend if needed to understand the patient’s condition.