Post-dengue recovery care must to avoid long-term ailments: Docs

Noida: While number of dengue cases in the state has been on the rise, doctors cautioned patients to take precautions post-recovery to avoid long-term side effects like hair fall, joint/muscle pain, vitamin deficiency, anxiety, etc.
Against 3,000 cases in 2018, the state saw 29,000 dengue cases in 2021. On the occasion of National Dengue Day, observed on May 16, doctors said after recovering from acute dengue infection, several patients were experiencing health-related ailments for up to three to four months.
“Some common symptoms that patients experience after recovery are multiple joint pain, body pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, recurrent mild infection, bleeding tendencies, nutritional element deficiency and patchy baldness,” Dr Shrey Srivastav of Noida’s Sharda Hospital said.
The infection also compromises a patient’s immunity. “The dengue virus enters the cell and produces large quantities of ‘sfRNA’ (the genetic material of the dengue virus), which attach themselves to receptors in the cell that produces antiviral proteins in response to interferons. Then the cell is unable to build its antiviral defence system and the immune system breaks down,” Dr Srivastav added.
Doctors said people should be wary of symptoms like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or bleeding. “Dengue like other viral fevers is a self-limiting disease. Most patients recover completely after 5-7 days. There is no specific treatment, only symptomatic treatment in the form of paracetamol for fever and body ache and plenty of oral fluids to prevent dehydration,” Dr Pankaj Choudhary of Vaishali’s Max Hospital said.