Dengue or viral fever? Doctor explains why they may appear to be ‘similar’ and shares 9 signs to tell them apart

Dengue fever should not be confused with viral fever, otherwise the health consequences may be adverse. Know how you can tell them apart.

This monsoon season, you will hear almost everyone around you falling sick, with fever, sore throat, and vomiting. The most common response would be a lackadaisical one: that it is just a characteristic seasonal ailment. But this distinction is not for you to surmise otherwise; self-treatment can have adverse outcomes.

Dengue is also common during the monsoon season, and the symptoms can overlap with those of viral infection. Let's hear from a seasoned specialist with over 18 years of experience whose health advisory strictly cautions people from self-treating if they experience any flu-like symptoms.

“Many people self-medicate and wait for symptoms to settle. Most viral fevers are self-limiting; dengue follows a very different course and can become life-threatening if warning signs are overlooked," Dr Chirag Tandon, director, internal medicine, ShardaCare-HealthCity, alerted, advocating for proactive initiative to get any symptoms evaluated by a health professional. Since dengue can be life-threatening if not treated on time can be dangerous. He ruled out self-medication at this time, even for viral infections, as many symptoms resemble.

“The challenge is that both illnesses begin with similar symptoms, making it difficult to recognise when medical evaluation is necessary,” he instructed strictly. If you get it checked early, Dr Chirag informed that early diagnosis ensures successful treatment outcomes.

Providing the key distinction, the doctor helped explain the root cause: “Dengue is due to the dengue virus, which is transmitted through the bite of an Aedes mosquito. On the other hand, viral fever refers to the condition characterized by fever due to different types of viruses.”

Here are some of the questions related to dengue and viral fever that the doctor answered for us:

Why do people confuse dengue and viral fever?

Dr Chirag believed the most common symptom that causes confusion and leads many people to mistake dengue with viral fever is that both cause significant fever, aches in the body, and weakness. But dengue's signs are a bit higher on the severity scale than fever and can be recognised easily, despite the surface-level similarities.

How to recognise if you may have dengue?

To assess the symptoms, dengue's symptoms are more intense, while also being located in different regions.

“Dengue symptoms include the sudden onset of high fever, severe headache, pain in the retro-orbital area, a high degree of muscle and joint pain, vomiting, and skin rash. When fever is caused by a viral infection, it usually features a sore throat, cough, rhinitis, and nasal blockage. However, respiratory symptoms in the case of dengue are relatively uncommon and constitute an important clinical clue,” Dr Chirag outlined the major differences that can help you understand if your symptoms lean more towards dengue or not. This necessary distinction also alleviates panic, as not all viral infections in the monsoon will be dengue.

Further, the doctor provided the clinical picture of the laboratory findings. It is the last step to rule out dengue as a viral infection, and dengue appears very differently in blood tests. “Dengue often causes a reduction in platelet count and white blood cell count, but platelet numbers alone should never be used to judge disease severity. Equal importance is given to haematocrit levels, as a rising haematocrit may indicate plasma leakage, one of the hallmark complications of severe dengue. Viral fevers rarely produce this combination of laboratory findings.”

Recurring fever should be taken as a sign to get tested for dengue. (Picture credit: Pexel)

What is the most common misconception?

As per the expert, dengue's recovery is often measured against fever, which is incorrect. He clarified and explained why it can be dangerous: “Many think dengue improves once fever subsides, but the timeframe between the third and the seventh day of the disease, when temperatures begin to stabilize, is often the most serious. At the time, plasma leakage could occur, resulting in an increased possibility of shock, internal bleeding, and organ malfunction.”

This clinical insight is crucial as it tells us that even a seemingly recovering patient can deteriorate rapidly.

Other than fever, which other symptoms indicate dengue?

Dizziness is one of the symptoms of dengue. (Picture credit: Shutterstock)

Dengue fever is accompanied by several other ‘warning signs,' which the doctor advised never to ignore. He cautioned about these signs, which may progressively get worse and require hospital-based management:

1. Persistent vomiting
2. Severe abdominal pain
3. Increasing drowsiness
4. Unusual restlessness
5. Bleeding from the gums or nose
6. Reduced urine output
7. Cold clammy skin
8. Breathlessness
9. Sudden dizziness

How are the treatments of dengue and viral fevers different?

Just to put into perspective, so you know how far apart the treatments are, the doctor pointed out that dengue fever needs a combination of careful administration of fluids and continuous monitoring of the condition, and patients are asked to stay away from medications like ibuprofen and aspirin since they can increase the risk of bleeding. But regular viral fevers go down with the expert-recommended paracetamol dosage.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.