According to researchers, very overweight children infected with dengue appear to be at a higher risk of hospitalisation, highlighting the need for increased public awareness of the risks of obesity and severe disease.
Dengue fever, which is spread by the Aedes mosquito, reached an all-time high of over 6.5 million cases in 2023, with more than 7,300 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Children under the age of five accounted for approximately 90% of those hospitalised.
With 10 million cases reported by the end of June, 2024 is poised to shatter the record again.
Neelika Malavige, a professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka, says the disease is a major issue in many South American and Asian countries, including Sri Lanka.
“Some people develop [the severe form] dengue hemorrhagic fever, which necessitates hospitalization,” said Malavige, co-author of the study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Others experience plasma leakage, which causes shock and, if untreated, death. Therefore, early diagnosis of problems is critical.”
Obesity and diabetes, both on the rise in many countries, are recognized risk factors for dengue. However, experts believe there is little evidence that these conditions lead to an increase in dengue-related hospitalizations.
Researchers examined approximately 5,000 Sri Lankan children aged 10 to 18 years for dengue hospitalizations and body mass index (BMI).
Children with a higher BMI for their age group (50th to 85th percentiles) had greater hospitalization rates than those with a lower BMI. Children at the highest percentiles (98th and higher), suggesting clinical obesity, were twice as likely to be hospitalized.
“With the increase in obesity in many countries, it is important to create awareness and educate the public about the potential risks regarding obesity and the risk of severe disease and hospitalisation from dengue,” says Malavige.
“It is important to study if obesity, diabetes, and metabolic diseases lead to more symptomatic illness and an increase in hospitalisations,” she further stated.
Dengue, often known as break bone fever because of the intense joint, bone, and muscle agony it produces, is most commonly spread during the rainy season, when mosquito populations thrive.
Dengue fever is now prevalent in over 100 countries, with the Americas, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions being the most severely afflicted.
Read: Pindi cracks down on Dengue breaches.
Marianne Comparet, director of the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases in the United Kingdom, stressed the significance of studies like this in aiding the clinical care of at-risk groups in light of dengue’s “alarming” global spread.
“With the vast majority of cases in resource-scarce countries, the already vulnerable health systems are easily overwhelmed during dengue outbreaks, with children significantly at risk of potentially fatal complications,” Comparet told SciDev.Net, a website dedicated to science and development in developing countries.
With no current treatments available, ongoing research to better understand and quantify the risks of progression to severe dengue in children “is both urgent and crucial,” she noted.
