He Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquito bite Aedes aegyptiwhich affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical regions.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), About half of the world’s population is at risk of getting the disease, and each year there are between 100 and 400 million infections worldwide.
The duration of dengue varies in each patient, according to factors such as the severity of the picture and the response of the immune system.
In general, The acute phase is characterized by fever and other symptoms, and can last between 2 and 7 days. However, some manifestations such as fatigue and fatigue can persist for weeks after the fever has disappeared.
Recognizing early symptoms is crucial to start proper treatment and avoid complications.
Dengue gives cough?
According to the WHO, cough is not among the main symptoms of dengue.
Dengue infection causes mainly high fever, intense head pain, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, inflammation of lymph nodes and skin rashes.
Although mild cough can occur in some cases – especially related to throat irritation -, it is not considered a characteristic or defining symptom of the disease, according to the main health authorities.
Main symptoms of dengue
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO, the main symptoms of dengue include:
- High sudden start fever
- Intense headache, especially behind the eyes
- Severe muscle and articular pain (which is why it is known as “Rompehuesos fever”))
- Nausea and vomiting
- Inflammation of lymph nodes
- Skin rashes (which usually appear between 2 and 5 days after the start of fever)
- Mild gum bleeding or nose
WHO warns that some patients can develop severe dengue, a potentially deadly complication. The alarm signs indicating serious dengue progression include:
- Intense or persistent abdominal pain
- Continuous vomiting
- Mucous bleeding
- Lethargy or irritability
- Liver enlargement (hepatomegaly)
- Liquid accumulation (edema)
- Rapid platelet decrease
- Increase in hematocrit
Diseases that do cause cough
Since cough is not a characteristic symptom of dengue, its presence could indicate:
- Viral respiratory infections. According to May Clinic, diseases such as common cold, influenza and covid-19 typically cause cough.
- Dengue with respiratory coinfection. PAHO points out that it is possible for a patient to have dengue and, at the same time, another infection that causes coughing.
- Bronchitis or pneumonia. These infections – of bacterial or viral origin – usually cause cough.
Although dengue can occur occasionally with mild respiratory symptoms, cough is not part of its typical clinical picture. Given the presence of high fever accompanied by persistent cough, health professionals will evaluate other diagnoses or the possibility of coinfections.