Contents:
- Medical Video: 5 Common signs of Dengue Fever
- What is dengue fever?
- Symptoms of dengue during pregnancy
- What happens to the fetus when pregnant women get dengue?
- How to treat dengue?
- Prevent DHF in the following ways
Medical Video: 5 Common signs of Dengue Fever
Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or more popular as dengue fever does not only occur in adults and children. Pregnant women can also be affected by the disease caused by this mosquito bite. So, what are the symptoms of dengue during pregnancy and do these conditions affect babies in the womb? Here's the review.
What is dengue fever?
Before understanding further, you need to know what dengue hemorrhagic fever is. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is an infectious disease caused by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Before entering the phase of dengue hemorrhagic fever, a person affected by this mosquito bite first experiences a condition called dengue fever. Dengue fever is different from dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).
Quoted from Kompas, Internal Medicine Specialist in FKUI at RCSM, Leonard Nainggolan stated the main difference from these two conditions is the plasma leakage. Blood consists of components namely plasma in the form of fluid and blood cells in the form of solids. Plasma leakage is a condition when the interstellar gap in a blood vessel widens which results in the release of blood plasma from a blood vessel. As a result, the blood becomes thicker so that the supply to important organs decreases.
A person who has been bitten by Aedes aegypti mosquito but has not had a plasma leak means only has dengue fever. However, if dengue fever does not heal even more severe and results in plasma leakage, then he can be affected by dengue hemorrhagic fever or by ordinary people called dengue fever.
Therefore, compared to dengue fever, dengue fever is a more serious condition that can result in death.
Symptoms of dengue during pregnancy
Detecting dengue as early as possible can reduce the severity of the disease. For that, understand the various symptoms that arise when you get dengue fever while pregnant. According to the Centers Disease for Prevention (CDC), people who experience dengue fever, including pregnant women, experience various symptoms such as:
- High fever is more than 38 degrees Celsius and lasts for 3 to 7 days.
- Changes in body temperature from high fever to hypothermia (when body temperature is below 35 degrees Celsius) to cause the body to shiver.
- Abdominal pain is quite severe.
- Vomiting continuously.
- Platelets drop dramatically.
- Gums and nose bleed.
- Shock symptoms such as anxiety, cold sweat, and an increased but weak heart rate.
- Red spots appear on the skin due to bleeding in the body.
- Fluid accumulation between the two layers of the pleura (pleural effusion or wet lung).
- Fluid accumulation in the stomach (ascites).
Various symptoms that are left and not immediately addressed can result in maternal and fetal death.
What happens to the fetus when pregnant women get dengue?
DHF is very dangerous for pregnant women because this virus can be transmitted during pregnancy even when the birthing process takes place. Various risks to the fetus when the mother is exposed to dengue hemorrhagic fever during pregnancy, namely:
- The baby is born dead (stillbirth).
- Low birth weight.
- Premature birth which results in imperfect baby organ growth.
- Miscarriage, if the mother experiences dengue fever in the early trimester of pregnancy.
How to treat dengue?
DHF requires immediate treatment to control symptoms and keep the infection from getting worse. Usually, the doctor will provide treatment such as:
- Supply fluids through intravenous fluids.
- Giving painkillers.
- Electrolyte therapy.
- Blood transfusion.
- Monitor blood pressure regularly.
- Oxygen therapy.
The doctor will continue to monitor the condition of the body and provide various other treatments according to the body's response.
Prevent DHF in the following ways
To protect yourself from dengue during pregnancy, you need to take several precautions such as:
- Keep the environment clean and close the pool of water around the house.
- Wear light-colored loose clothes and cover the arms and legs to prevent mosquito bites.
- Use mosquito nets at night during your sleep and good mosquito repellent which is smeared directly into the skin and spray mosquito repellent.
- Keep the room cool because mosquitoes tend to like warm and hot places.
Maintaining the condition of the body during pregnancy is very important to do to prevent the emergence of diseases that can have a negative effect on the fetus that you conceive. For that, always consult your health and baby regularly during pregnancy. Also, increase your sensitivity to the signals your body gives you. Never ignore it because it can endanger you and your little one.
