Atypical skin manifestations of dengue fever in a child

Dengue fever is a severe flu-like illness that affects infants, children, adolescents, and adults and can have a wide variety of manifestations. Dengue fever can have varied skin manifestations including petechiae, purpura, and bleeding.

An 18-month-old male child was presented with the complaints of fever for 6 days, loose stools for 3 days, multiple skin lesions all over the body for 2 days, and skin eruptions for 1 day. The patient was apparently healthy 6 days ago when he started having a sudden onset, high-grade fever intermittent, progressive, and relieved on medications, associated with loose stools 18–20 times a day in frequency, watery, brownish in color, associated with various fluid-filled skin lesions, and eruptions for 2 days. Parents also complained of the patient having generalized joint pain.

On examination, the patient was conscious and irritable at the time of admission and was having a fever of 100°F, pulse rate of  138/min, low volume pulse, RR=32/min, blood pressure=98/64 mmHg, RBS=55 mg/dl, and spo2=98% at room air. The patient was having mild pallor, and facial edema, and various skin eruptions all over the body, petechiae over both lower limbs, and peeling of skin over face and lower limbs.

The child got better with fluid resuscitation, skin care, and supportive management. This case report draws light toward the various other dermatological manifestations of dengue fever