Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: Symptoms

What are the symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever?

Initial symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever include high fever, headache, eye pain, musculoskeletal pain, and easy bleeding or bruising. Later symptoms include rash, restlessness, sweating, red to reddish-purple spots or patches on the skin, and cold, clammy skin.

Early symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever

Early symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever last for a few days to a week and include:

• Aches in the muscle, joints or bones
• Cold, clammy skin
• Eye pain
• Fever
• General ill feeling
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea with or without vomiting

Later symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever

Later symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever indicate that the infection is entering a crisis phase. These symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain
• Easy bleeding or bruising
• Irritability and restlessness
• Rash
• Red to reddish-purple spots (petechiae) or patches (ecchymoses) on the skin
• Persistent vomiting
• Sweating

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a life-threatening condition. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

• Bleeding from the nose or gums
• Bloody stool (the blood may be red, black, or tarry in texture)
• Change in level of consciousness or alertness, such as passing out or unresponsiveness
• Change in mental status or sudden behavior change, such as confusion, delirium, lethargy, hallucinations and delusions
• High fever (higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Irritability and restlessness
• Persistent vomiting
• Red to reddish-purple spots (petechiae) or patches (ecchymoses) on the skin
• Seizure
• Severe abdominal pain
• Vomiting blood or black material (resembling coffee grounds)