CDC en Español

Search:

ISSN: 1080-6059

  • Email this page

Article Contents

Volume 13, Number 2–February 2007

Letter

Maculopathy and Dengue

Augustinus Laude,* Comments to Author Maciej Piotr Chlebicki,* Brenda Ang,* and Timothy Barkham*
*Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

Suggested citation for this article

To the Editor: We thank Su and Chee (1) for their interest in our article, "Retinal Hemorrhages in 4 Patients with Dengue Fever" (2). We reported the findings of this small case series to highlight the presence of retinal hemorrhage as a manifestation of ophthalmic complication in patients with dengue fever. We wanted to describe characteristic clinical features (such as association of onset of visual symptoms with resolution of fever and nadir of thrombocytopenia) and propose epidemiologic explanations for the sudden rise in the incidence of observed ocular complications of dengue fever in our population. Our article did not attempt to conclude that the retinal hemorrhages were responsible for the patients' visual symptoms, as suggested by Su et al. In fact, we stated that in all 4 patients "fundoscopic examination showed macular hemorrhages and exudative maculopathy."

The range of dengue-related ophthalmic complication is still being investigated, and we agree with Su and Chee that other ophthalmic manifestations may occur in patients with dengue fever. In a retrospective observational case series involving 22 eyes of 13 patients with visual impairment from dengue infection, carried out in our hospital, Chan et al. (3) found evidence of retinal hemorrhage, macular edema, cotton wool spots, retinal vasculitis, exudative retinal detachment, and anterior uveitis. Therefore, physicians and ophthalmologists should be aware of the possibilities of ophthalmic complications in the management of patients with dengue fever.

References

  1. Su DH, Chee SP. Maculopathy in dengue fever. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:707.
  2. Chlebicki MP, Ang B, Barkham T, Laude A. Retinal hemorrhages in 4 patients with dengue fever. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:770–2.
  3. Chan DP, Teoh SC, Tan CS, Nah GK, Rajagopalan R, Prabhakaragupta MK, et al. Ophthalmic complications of dengue. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:285–9.

Suggested Citation for this Article

Laude A, Chlebicki MP, Ang B, Barkham T. Maculopathy and dengue [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2007 Feb [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/13/2/347.htm

Comments to the Authors

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Augustinus Laude, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 11, Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433, Singapore; email: laude_augustinus@ttsh.com.sg

Please note: To prevent email errors, please use no web addresses, email addresses, HTML code, or the characters <, >, and @ in the body of your message.

Return email address optional:

Comments to the EID Editors

Please contact the EID Editors at eideditor@cdc.gov

The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.

This page posted January 24, 2007
This page last reviewed January 24, 2007

Safer Healthier People

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A
Tel: (404) 639-3311 / Public Inquiries: (404) 639-3534 / (800) 311-3435