Body aches - the obsession of people with dengue fever

The article was professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Nhat - Infectious Disease Specialist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

Dengue fever is an infectious disease caused by the Dengue virus. Dengue fever is caused by an Aedes mosquito that transmits the virus from an infected person to a healthy person. People with dengue fever can experience severe pain in the muscles and joints.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is caused by the dengue virus with 4 different types: D1, D2, D3 and D4. In theory, a person can get sick up to 4 times because when infected, the body is immune to the type that causes the disease but cannot be immune to other types of viruses. Dengue fever occurs all year round, usually increases in the rainy season (July - October), the disease can occur in both children and people. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, dengue can lead to heavy bleeding, sudden blood loss, and death.
Currently, there is no vaccine for dengue fever as well as specific treatment drugs, the main treatment is to reduce symptoms and monitor disease progression.
The manifestations of dengue fever include:
Classical dengue (mild form):
In mild form, dengue fever presents with fever and will last for 4-7 days from the time of infection with symptoms such as:
High fever, up to 40.5 degrees Celsius, severe headache Body aches, joint and muscle pain. Nausea and vomiting, pain behind the eyes. Rash 3-4 days, then subside after 1-2 days. Dengue hemorrhagic fever:
Symptoms of this type of dengue include classic dengue symptoms, along with damage to the lymphatics and blood vessels, causing nosebleeds, bleeding under the skin, and bruising . If not treated promptly, dengue fever can lead to death for a long time.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever (Dengue Shock Syndrome)
Dengue shock syndrome is the most severe form. Symptoms include body aches, bleeding, extravasation leading to hypotension.

Dengue fever can cause severe body aches, muscle and joint pain. There is currently no specific medicine for dengue fever. To reduce body aches and other symptoms of dengue fever, the following methods can be applied:
Take care of dengue patients at home with proper rest. in a cool environment. Supplement with soft, easy-to-digest, protein-rich foods such as soup, water, lean meat porridge, Vitamin C, B1... Rehydration, electrolytes by drinking from juice, filtered water, oresol solution, vitamins ... Use antipyretic drug paracetamol alone. Dosage from 325-650mg, every 4-6 hours, not more than 4g a day. The relative dose by age is as follows: children < 3 months old: 40mg; children 4-11 months old: 80mg; children 1-2 years old: 120mg; children 2-3 years old: 160mg; children 4-5 years old: 240mg; children 6-8 years old: 320mg; children 9-10 years old: 400mg; 11 years old children: 480mg (average 10-15mg/kg body weight). Lower body temperature by taking antipyretic drugs combined with cool compresses in the armpits, groin, folds, wiping with warm water. For dengue patients to wear cool clothes, do not cover or wear a lot of clothes will limit heat loss, body temperature rises higher. In case a dengue fever patient has signs of high fever, convulsions, signs of severe progression, bleeding, etc., they should be promptly taken to the emergency room.

It is not necessary to use antibiotics when treating dengue fever, because this is a viral disease. Improper use of antibiotics can increase toxicity on the liver and kidneys, affecting the patient's health. Do not use pain relievers aspirin and ibuprofen.... because they inhibit platelet aggregation. Using for dengue patients can lead to stomach bleeding, vomiting blood... No Applying folk methods to reduce fever such as scraping the wind, hot oil... will damage muscles and dilate blood vessels, making the disease more dangerous. Killing mosquitoes, swarms, bugs, keeping the living environment and living places clean. Applying measures to avoid mosquito bites such as sleeping under mosquito nets, applying mosquito repellent cream... are methods to prevent the outbreak and spread of the dengue virus.