Dengue fever

Last revised by Arlene Campos on 12 Jan 2024

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne acute systemic viral infection caused by any of the four serotypes of the dengue virus.

Dengue virus infections occur predominately in tropical and subtropical regions 3

The infection can lead to a broad spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild, nonspecific, influenza-like prodromes to more severe forms known as:

  • dengue hemorrhagic fever

  • dengue shock syndrome 

The dengue viruses (DENV) are single-stranded RNA arboviruses that are divided into four different serotypes, nominated DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4. They belong to the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. The primary vector for dengue viruses is Aedes mosquitos, especially A. aegypti 1

Although radiology does not play an active role in the diagnosis of dengue fever or in the assessment of mild cases, it can show typical findings related to plasma leakage in absence of serological tests. These features could play a diagnostic role 2. Described findings include 2,4:

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