Observational study of clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of pediatric patients with dengue in the city of Córdoba.

Introduction. Dengue has been the most widespread mosquito-borne disease worldwide in recent years. It develops with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and sometimes progresses to a critical condition known as severe dengue. It is managed with supportive treatment. Available information about its clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics in the pediatric population is limited. Objective. To describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of dengue. Population and methods. Descriptive, observational, and retrospective study. It included patients aged 1 to 180 months seen due to probable or confirmed dengue at a children's hospital between 1/1/2020 and 5/31/2020. Results. A total of 85 patients with positive microbiological or clinical-epidemiological criteria were included. Of these, 25 (29%) were confirmed by RT-PCR; all corresponded to DENV-1 serotype. Patients' median age was 108 months (interquartile range: 84-144). The main clinical manifestations were fever, headache, and myalgia. The most important laboratory findings were leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and high transaminase levels. Conclusion. The recognition and understanding of clinical and laboratory alterations that occur during dengue disease may allow an effective approach and help to reduce the more severe clinical form in children.