[Clinical observation of 15 Thai children with dengue hemorrhagic fever].
Fifteen Thai children, diagnosed with dengue hemorrhagic fever and admitted to the Children's Hospital in Bangkok, were studied. All cases were serologically proved to be secondary dengue infections. The clinical signs and symptoms in the first few days of the acute febrile phase were similar to those observed in cases with classical dengue fever, and included continuously high fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, etc. In the laboratory findings we noted hypoalbuminemia and mild elevation of the GOT and GPT. The hemogram showed an increasing atypical lymphocyte count during the acute febrile period. Prolongations of the partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time were also found, especially in the severe shock cases. All patients had varying degrees of hepatomegaly and pleural effusion from their chest x-rays accompanied by a rapid increase in the hematocrit of more than 20% and a fall in the platelet count to less than 100000/microliters. During the plasma leakage period the patients easily developed shock, even leading to death, unless adequate fluid supplies were given. This is also the major pathophysiological difference between dengue hemorrhagic fever and classical dengue fever. Although some studies concerning the pathogenesis of dengue hemorrhagic fever have been reported, but the exact mechanisms need further investigation.