Dengue fever has emerged as a major public health issue in recent years, particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. Annual outbreaks of dengue fever occur regularly in Pakistan, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality among children. Understanding the diverse clinical presentations, timely diagnosis, and rapid, correct management are crucial aspects of addressing this health challenge. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the different clinical spectrums of dengue fever and its outcomes in children.

Method: We conducted a Retrospective Cohort study between 1^st October, 2021 to 30^th September, 2022 at Paediatric Department of Dr. Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi. Total 56 patients of both genders aged 1–15 years, with the diagnosis of Dengue fever were included in this study. After taking informed written consent from the parents of children detailed demographics included age, sex, weight, clinical signs like bleeding, joint pain, petechiae and fever. Outcomes among all patients were discharge, left against medical advice (LAMA) and death were assessed. SPSS 21.0 was used to analyze all data.

Results: There were 19 (52.8%) male and 17 (47.2%) females among all children. Mean age of the children was 9.13±7.35 years and mean weight was 20.8±4.27 kg. Most common symptom was fever in 22 (61.1%) followed by bleeding in 8 (22.2%) cases, joint pain in 4 (11.1%) and petechiae in 2 (5.6%) cases. Frequency of Ns1Ag positive patients were 29 (80.6%). 14 (38.9%) cases had platelet count > 100000/mm³. Mean hospital stay was 19.7±4.13 days. 24 (66.7%) patients were discharged, 6 (16.7%) cases were left LAMA and 2 (5.6%) patients were died.

Conclusion: Males children had a higher prevalence of dengue in the study. Regular check-ups showed that the severity of dengue did not worsen right away after infection, but rather increased gradually over time. Most patients spent more than two weeks in the hospital, and there was two cases of fatality throughout the research.

Keyword: Dengue, Fever, LAMA, Mortality