Comparison of blood parameters in differentiation between leptospirosis and dengue patients in Hospital Teluk Intan

Zulkifly, Aina Nadiah and Chew, Chen Loong Alyx and Ab Rahman, Aliah Maisarah (2021) Comparison of blood parameters in differentiation between leptospirosis and dengue patients in Hospital Teluk Intan. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

Text FPSK1 2021 18.pdf Download (2MB)

Abstract

Introduction: The tropical region of Malaysia is a haven for certain lethal pathogens, such as bacteria in the genus leptospira and the dengue virus. The diseases caused by these pathogens are leptospirosis and dengue fever. The common characteristics shared by both diseases is that the transmission of pathogens thrive in humid tropical locations and the clinical presentations are similar as well as unspecified. Among the signs and symptoms which make differentiation difficult are fever, muscle aches, headaches and lethargy. Diagnosis of the diseases in later stages increases the severity, which then leads to fatality. Objective:This study aims to determine and identify the specific host biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), and haemoglobin (Hb), which may be suitable for differentiating between leptospirosis and dengue fever. Methodology: This retrospective study is conducted using secondary data that was collected from Hospital Teluk Intan, Perak, Malaysia. Medical records of febrile patients were retrieved via the proforma. Universal sampling was used to select cases of confirmed leptospirosis and dengue diagnosis. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26. Independent Samples T-test and Mann Whitney U tests were used for comparison between numerical data to determine the association between the variables. Results: A total of 133 (41.3%) cases of leptospirosis and dengue fever were eligible to be included in the study. The sociodemographic pattern in leptospirosis recorded a mean age of 46.86 years, a prevalence in males (57.58%), with a majority of Malay (60.61%) being affected. In dengue fever, it is observed that the mean age of patients was 36.97 years, with a leading dominance in male (56.72%) and Malay (58.21%) patients. As for Hb, a significant difference of mean Hb values were found between leptospirosis (11.4 ± 2.72) and dengue (14.05±2.28) patients, with a p-value of <0.001. Based on the ANC, a significant difference between leptospirosis and dengue with a p-value of <0.001 was also recorded. The mean rank of ANC in leptospirosis (92.12) patients was higher compared to dengue (41.05) patients. Next, tests showed a significant difference between the mean rank of CRP in leptospirosis (88.37) and dengue (44.63) which suggests leptospirosis has a higher association with CRP than dengue. Conclusion: This study revealed that Hb, ANC and CRP are significant in differentiating between leptospirosis and dengue patients, as well as comparable to the previous published studies. Keywords: Leptospirosis, Dengue, Biomarkers, Haemoglobin, Neutrophils, C-reactive protein, Diagnosis

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 07:13
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 07:13
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/980

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