Do patients with dengue need blood transfusions when the platelets drop?

Do patients with dengue fever or dengue need blood transfusion treatment? It depends on the conditions. A little illustration, dengue fever is a disease caused by the dengue virus (DENV), this virus can be spread through the bite of the Aedes aegepty mosquito, which is found in many tropical areas.

After this virus enters the human body, the virus can reproduce. This causes damage which then becomes a complaint in DHF patients.

One of the complaints or symptoms found is a low platelet count (also called platelets). However, should DHF patients who experience a decrease in platelets need blood transfusions? Know the explanation below.

The relationship between dengue fever and decreased platelets

Generally, DHF patients experience a decrease in platelet count. A low platelet condition is called thrombocytopenia. There are several theories explaining why DENV might cause a drop in platelets.

One of the theories states that DENV can damage cells (hematopoietic progenitor cells and stromal cells) important in the spinal cord whose job is to form platelets. The damage to the cells that produce platelets causes a decrease in the number of platelets in the body.

Another theory explains that platelet cells that are already in the bloodstream can be damaged by DENV so that they break and are destroyed. These destroyed platelet cells result in a low number of platelets in the body.

Platelets or platelets are an important cell that plays a role in stopping bleeding. If someone is injured and bleeding, a platelet will come and make a plug or a blockage that will help close the wound so the bleeding can stop.

In people with DHF, platelet levels are very low and bleeding is very easy to occur. This is why people with dengue fever will usually be asked to rest completely. Strenuous activity is easy to cause bleeding in people with low platelet levels.

Bleeding in a person infected with DENV includes minor skin bleeding, bruises to more serious bleeding such as bleeding in the digestive tract that causes vomiting of blood or bloody stools. So, do DHF patients need blood transfusions? He needs to go through a laboratory examination first to get the procedure.

The condition of DHF patients who require blood transfusions

The dangerous thing that can happen to dengue fever patients is a plasma leak. Plasma is a fluid that makes up blood as a whole, along with hemoglobin.

The body's reaction to DENV infection causes plasma to leak from the blood vessels and into the tissues around the blood vessels.

In laboratory results, this is shown by increasing levels of hematocrit (hemoglobin concentration, this level increases because the amount of plasma decreases). This person will look as if he lacks fluids, but the fluid is actually still in his body.

The implication of this situation is that doctors must be careful when giving fluid therapy (infusion) to DHF patients. Excessive intravenous fluids can cause overload or excess fluid which could be fatal.

Blood products (platelet concentrates, whole blood, red blood cells, etc.) have more concentrated levels, so that if given carelessly it is easier to cause fluid overload.

Therefore, doctors are usually very careful about giving transfusions to people with dengue and not all people with dengue have direct transfusions. Not to mention that the transfusion could cause an allergic reaction, this would be another problem that could aggravate the patient's condition.

Platelet / platelet concentrate transfusions are only given to those with active bleeding that doesn't stop. In such circumstances the patient will usually be given a platelet transfusion or clotting factor (cryoprecipitate).

Because the patient is bleeding profusely, the platelets will continue to be used by the body to try to stop the bleeding. The point of a transfusion in this case is to help the body not run out of platelet reserves to stop the bleeding that occurs.

Usually the transfusion will be stopped when the bleeding has stopped. After this happens, the patient should still rest first and avoid strenuous activities.

If the DHF infection has not been resolved and the patient continues to be active, bleeding may continue. Patients also need to be aware of the occurrence of transfusion reactions, which can occur after the transfusion is complete.

Things that DHF patients need to do after a blood transfusion

After a blood transfusion, there are several things that DHF patients need to do. As mentioned earlier, platelet transfusions are stopped when there is no bleeding anymore. For abstinence, people with DHF should eat foods that are easy to digest such as porridge and soup.

Foods that are difficult to digest can increase the load on the digestive tract and can then increase bleeding. Dengue patients who can drink well themselves often do not need to be given intravenous fluids. Drinking water is a great way to keep your body hydrated.

As discussed earlier, drinking guava juice or guava product stew is an easy way to get guava's properties on platelets without overloading the digestive tract.

Consumption of guava can increase blood platelets

Guava Fruit

Fruit juice is also very useful for speeding up the recovery of the body after DHF, because it is full of fructose and vitamins that can speed up the body's energy and freshness.

Many studies have been conducted regarding the effect of certain dietary supplements on increasing platelets. Guava is often touted as one of the foods that can help increase the platelet count.

Psidium guajava (guava) is known to have a bioactive substance called thrombinol, this has been proven by several studies that it can increase platelet levels in the body. Some also mention that the consumption of guava leaf extract (psidii folium) can increase platelet levels in the body.

Many other things are often believed to increase platelets in the body, some of which include spinach, pomegranate dates, red meat, etc. However, the research evidence for these foods is still limited. You

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