Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus in a Patient with Dengue Fever.

Abstract

Dengue fever is an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by the flavivirus. Dengue fever is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The clinical presentation of dengue varies from being asymptomatic to developing severe complications such as dengue hemorrhagic fever, dengue shock syndrome, and dengue-expanded syndrome. Unlike most arboviral infections, neurological symptoms are not typically associated with the dengue virus, rarely causing neurological dysfunction with encephalitis and seizures. Here, we report a case of a 26-year-old patient who presented with altered mental status and pyrexia, eventually diagnosed with dengue encephalitis with nonconvulsive status epilepticus, which is very uncommon for dengue-expanded syndrome. Our case proves that in some cases, the early signs of infection may be mild, even when there is direct involvement of the central nervous system, leading to diagnostic challenges.