Infect Chemother.  2009 Aug;41(4):236-239. 10.3947/ic.2009.41.4.236.

Dengue Fever Mimicking Acute Appendicitis: A Case Report

• Kang YJ
• Choi SY
• Kang IJ
• Lee JE
• Seo MH
• Lee TH
• Ghim BK

• KMID: 1473671
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2009.41.4.236

Abstract

We experienced a case of enteritis mimicking acute appendicitis in Dengue fever. This is the first case report of such complication in Korea. A 36-year-old man presented with fever and abdominal pain after a trip to the Philippines. He complained of severe pain on the right iliac fossa region. Complete blood cell count showed thrombocytopenia with leucopenia. Computed tomogram (CT) of abdomen and pelvis revealed a normal appendix. Dengue fever was confirmed by IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against dengue virus. During the follow-up period of 4 weeks, he was recovered and platelet count gradually. We can see from this case that dengue fever may present with abdominal pain, which mimics acute appendicitis. Early recognition of dengue fever mimicking appendicitis is important to prevent unnecessary surgical intervention.

Keyword

Dengue fever; Appendicitis; Abdominal pain

MeSH Terms

Abdomen
Abdominal Pain
Adult
Appendicitis
Appendix
Blood Cell Count
Dengue
Dengue Virus
Enteritis
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Fever
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Immunoglobulin M
Korea
Pelvis
Philippines
Platelet Count
Thrombocytopenia
Immunoglobulin M

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