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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffDiagnosing dengue fever can be difficult, because its signs and symptoms can be easily confused with those of other diseases — such as malaria, leptospirosis and typhoid fever.
Your doctor will likely ask about your medical and travel history. Be sure to describe international trips in detail, including the countries you visited and the dates, as well as any contact you may have had with mosquitoes.
Certain laboratory tests can detect evidence of the dengue viruses, but test results usually come back too late to help direct treatment decisions.
References
- Frequently asked questions: Dengue. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Dengue/faqFacts/index.html. Accessed July 21, 2011.
- Rothman AL. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of dengue virus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 21, 2011.
- Nathan MB, et al. Dengue: Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2009. Accessed July 27, 2011.
- Vaughn DW, et al. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. In: Mandell JE, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..X0001-X--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed July 27, 2011.
- Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en. Accessed July 27, 2011.
- Bell M. Viral hemorrhagic fevers. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed July 27, 2011.
- Rothman AL. Prevention and treatment of dengue virus infection. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed Aug. 3, 2011.
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