Dengue Fever: A Thrombocytopenic Disease?

In a study of dengue fever in Thailand, bone-marrow examinations showed hypocellularity early in the disease, followed by hypercullarity during recovery and normocellularity in convalescence. Thrombocytopenia due to megakaryocytic suppression was a characteristic. In 18 patients with early dengue, thrombocytopenia lasted one to four days; platelet counts in 8 were less than 50,000/cu cm. Petechiae or other bleeding manifestations were noted in 15 patients. Intensive hematologic studies of dengue infections in other geographic areas are suggested, to determine if thrombocytopenia is a universal characteristic of this and related virus diseases.