DBD disease that is not treated immediately can cause death

Indonesia is a tropical country that is a habitat for dengue mosquitoes. Therefore, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is still one of the main health problems for the people of Indonesia. Left without proper treatment, dengue fever can develop into a dangerous condition, even causing death. What are the complications of DHF?

Various dangers and complications of DHF

Previously, it is important for you to know that the terms dengue fever (DD) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are two different conditions.

Dengue fever and dengue are both caused by the dengue virus. However, what makes the difference is the severity. If ordinary dengue fever lasts only for 5-7 days, DHF has entered a severe phase and is much more at risk of causing fatal complications.

The following are the dangers and complications that may occur when you are already exposed to dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue:

1. Bleeding due to leakage of blood plasma

What distinguishes the two types of dengue fever is the presence or absence of blood plasma leakage. In DHF, the patient can experience plasma leakage which results in serious bleeding in the body.

This leakage of blood plasma is probably closely related to the dengue virus, which attacks blood vessels. The walls of blood vessels weaken due to dengue virus infection, so that blood plasma leaks are easier to occur.

This is certainly worsened by low platelet levels in DHF patients. Bleeding occurs more easily if the platelets drop dramatically. This is what causes DHF patients to experience symptoms such as:

Nosebleed
Bleeding gums
Purple bruises that appeared suddenly

Gradually, this internal bleeding can cause shock due to blood pressure dropping drastically in a short time.

2. Dengue shock syndrome

If DHF reaches the stage of shock, this complication is referred to as dengue shock syndrome (DSS) or dengue shock syndrome.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America or the CDC, the symptoms a patient displays when experiencing dengue shock are:

Pulse weakens
Blood pressure drops
The pupils are dilated
Irregular breathing
Pale skin and cold sweat appearing

Moreover, DHF patients also experience plasma leakage as described above. This means that you will still lose fluids even if you drink a lot or get intravenous fluids. This is what most often results in shock.

DHF patients who have experienced complications of dengue shock are prone to experiencing organ system failure, which can lead to death.

Don't underestimate dengue hemorrhagic fever

According to data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, the number of dengue cases in Indonesia has reached 71,633 by July 2020. In addition, the death toll from this disease has reached 459 people.

Even though it has decreased from previous years, the presence of DHF cases in Indonesia is inseparable from the influence of high population mobility, urban development, climate change, and most importantly the low level of public awareness to maintain environmental cleanliness.

In addition, if a person has been infected with the dengue fever virus, and at another time he is infected again with a different type of dengue fever virus, the chances of that person getting dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are much greater.

You must be aware of the dangers of bleeding and dengue shock syndrome as two deadly complications of DHF. Both conditions are arguably rare, but they are much more at risk in people whose immune systems are unable to fight off infection. In addition, these complications are also more likely to occur in people who have previously had dengue fever from a different type of virus.

That is why it is important to get medical help quickly if you or someone closest to you experiences symptoms of dengue or common dengue fever. In addition to providing additional fluids through an IV, doctors usually can also perform blood transfusions to replace reduced blood, as well as monitor the patient's blood pressure in the process of treating DHF.

Also pay attention to the cleanliness of your environment as the most important step to prevent dengue. You can follow the guidelines from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, namely 3M: