How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: The present study aimed to determine sex-based variations in haematological and serological parameters. The association between NS1 and haematological biomarkers should also be explored.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 31 children with confirmed DHF who visited the Dengue Outpatient Department (OPD) of Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, between October and November 2024. Patients were enrolled in the study through consecutive non-probability sampling. Data were analysed using SPSS version 27.0. Descriptive statistics were used. Gender-wise differences in haematological and serological markers were determined by applying an independent sample t-test. The linkage of NS1 with haematocrit and platelets was determined by applying an independent sample t-test, while the relationship of NS1 with leucocytes was explored using the Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Results: Of the 31 children with DHF in our study, 20 were male. The mean age of the children was 8.5 ± 2.5 years. Eighteen cases belonged to Rawalpindi, while 13 were residents of Islamabad. The mean length of hospital stay was 2.94 ± 1.12 days. Only sex-based variation in leucocyte count in DHF cases was statistically significant (P<0.03). The association of NS1 with all haematological markers of DHF cases was also statistically insignificant.
Conclusion: Sex differences were statistically significant only for the leucocyte count in children with DHF. Gender-stratified variations in serological biomarkers were not statistically significant.
Keywords: Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), pediatric cases, serological biomarkers, hematological parameters, leucocyte count
References
Schaefer TJ, Panda PK, Wolford RW. Dengue Fever. Stat Pearls (Internet). 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430732/.
Sachdev A, Pathak D, Gupta N, Simalti A, Gupta D, Gupta S, et al. Early Predictors of Mortality in Children with Severe Dengue Fever: A Prospective Study. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2021 Sep 1; 40(9): 797-801. https://doi.org/10.1097/inf.0000000000003179.
Deng J, Zhang H, Wang Y, Liu Q, Du M, Yan W, et al. Global, regional, and national burden of dengue infection in children and adolescents: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. eClinicalMedicine. 2024 Nov 19; 78: 102943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102943.
Weng SL, Hung FY, Li ST, Liou BH, Yeung CY, Tai YL, et al. Dengue Epidemiology in 7 Southeast Asian Countries: 24-Year, Retrospective, Multi-country Ecological Study. Interact J Med Res 2025 Sep 8;14: e70491. https://doi.org/10.2196/70491.
Yang X, Quam MBM, Zhang T, Sang S. Global burden for dengue and the evolving pattern in the past 30 years. J Travel Med. 2021 Dec 29; 28(8): taab146. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taab146.
Maryam HA, Rais H, Anwer T, Safdar S, Bai P. Clinical spectrum of dengue fever among children: A hospital-based study. Prof Med J 2025; 32(3): 315-321. https://doi.org/10.29309/TPMJ/2025.32.03.8840.
Hussain W, Shaikh M, Hanif M, Ashfaq M, Ahmed H, Nisa BU. Pattern and Outcome of Dengue Fever in a Pediatric Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Report. Cureus 2021 Mar 28;13(3): e14164. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.14164.
Prasanna L, Jayaram G. Patho-clinical profile of dengue fever in hospitalized children. Int J Intg Med Sci 2018; 5: 700–704. https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijims.2018.126.
Jabeen U, Iftikhar A, Hamid MH, Chaudhry A. Comparison of characteristics of dengue hemorrhagic fever in children during 2011 and 2013 outbreaks. Pak Pediatr J 2018; 42(2): 95–100. www.pakpedsjournal.org.pk.
Awan NJ, Chaudhry A, Hussain Z, Baig ZI, Baig MA, Asghar RJ, et al. Risk Factors of Dengue Fever in Urban Areas of Rawalpindi District in Pakistan During 2017: A Case Control Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2022 Jan 19; 8(1): e27270. https://doi.org/10.2196/27270.
Pratheep N, Kitulwatte N, Hewageegana M, Sivakanthan B, Haridas P, Wijetunge S, et al. Clinical profile of children with dengue haemorrhagic fever at a paediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital, Sri Lanka. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine 2018; 19(6S): 114. DOI: 10.1097/01.pcc.0000537678. 69312.bb.
Jayarajah U, Madarasinghe M, Hapugoda D, Dissanayake U, Perera L, Kannangara V, et al. Clinical and Biochemical Characteristics of Dengue Infections in Children from Sri Lanka. Glob Pediatr Health 2020 Nov 22; 7: 2333794X20974207. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794x20974207.
Duy NA, Nhung TTH, Thang TH. Investigating the hematological parameters in children with dengue hemorrhagic fever newly hospitalized at Tra Vinh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Vietnam. Tra Vinh University Journal of Science 2024; 13(1): 43-51. https://doi.org/10.35382/tvujs.13.1.2023.1721.
Tran PNT, Siranart N, Sukmark T, Limothai U, Tachaboon S, Tantawichien T, et al. A simple nomogram to predict dengue shock syndrome: A study of 4522 South East Asian children. J Med Virol 2024; 96(8): e29874. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.29874.
Fuadah NT, Sarinengslh Y, Helena DF. Profile of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases in children. J Lang Health 2024; 5(3): 1545-1550. https://doi.org/10.37287/jlh.v5i3.5272.
Latif S, Anwar MS, Jaffery G, Saleh HMB. Age and gender pattern of dengue disease in Lahore epidemic of 2011. JFJMC 2016; 10(1): 99-102. https://pjmhsonline.com/2014/jan_march/pdf/12%20%20%20Gender%20Difference%20in%20patients%20with%20Dengue%20Fever%20admitted%20in%20a%20Teaching%20Hospital%2C%20Lahore.pdf.
Chakarvarti A, Roy P, Malik S, Siddiqui O, Thakur P. A study on gender-related differences in laboratory characteristics of dengue fever. Indian J Med Microbiol 2016; 34(1): 82-84. https://doi.org/10.4103/0255-0857.174106.
AjayGopal K, Kalaivani V, Anandan H. Prevalence of Dengue Fever and Comparative Analysis of IgM and IgG Antibodies in Dengue Fever in Thoothukudi-Southern Coastal City, Tamil Nadu. Ann Int Med Den Res 2016; 2(6): MB04-MB07. https://doi.org/10.21276/aimdr.2016.2.6.MB2.
Pathak B, Chakarvarty A, Rani NV, Krishnan A. Serological immune biomarker for disease severity in dengue-infected pediatric hospitalized patients. J Med Virol 2024; 96(7): e29779. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.29779.
Soomar SM, Issani A, Moin G, Dhalla Z, Adnan A, Soomar SM. The Serological Confirmation and Outcome of the Pediatric Dengue Patients Presenting to Emergency Department: A Cross-Sectional Study. Glob Pediatr Health 2022 Dec 26; 9: 2333794X221138434. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X221138434.
Medscape. Dengue Workup. Updated April 27, 2025. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/215840-workup?form=fpf.
Islam S, Khan MAS, Badal MFA, Khan MZI, Gozal D, Hasan MJ. Clinical and hematological profiles of children with dengue residing in a non-endemic zone of Bangladesh. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022 Oct 10; 16(10): e0010847. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010847.
Tantawichien T. Dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever in adolescents and adults. Paediatr Int Child Health 2013; 32(Sup 1): 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1179/2046904712Z.00000000049.
Zeb F, Haleem KS, Al-Muqbil M, Rashid M, Hussain W, Maqbool F, et al. Age, gender and infectious status-wise assessments of hematological parameters among patients with dengue infection. Heliyon 2024; 10(13): e34053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34053.
Patidar NK, Gupta K, Panjwani D, Kikani K, Shah K, Bhandari S. Correlation between serological and hematological markers in Dengue fever: Insights from a tertiary care hospital. Int J Pharm Clin Res 2025; 17(1): 647-653. https://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJPCR/17/IJPCR,Vol17,Issue1,Article98.pdf.
Vidhi KG, Hiral MG, Hitesh KS, Swati JD. A study on evaluation and correlation J Vector Borne Dis 2025; 62(1): 93-97. https://doi.org/10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_45_23
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rizwana Shahid, Rabbia Khalid, Sarah Rafi, Hina Sattar, Muhammad Umar, Majid Ali Yousafzai