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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Feb 16, 2015; 3(2): 125-131
Published online Feb 16, 2015. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v3.i2.125
Dengue and its effects on liver
Jayanta Samanta, Vishal Sharma
Jayanta Samanta, Vishal Sharma, Department of Gastro-enterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
Author contributions: Samanta J and Sharma V contributed to this paper.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Vishal Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh 160012, India. docvishalsharma@gmail.com
Telephone: +91-887-2813399 Fax: +91-172-2744401
Received: July 28, 2014
Peer-review started: July 28, 2014
First decision: September 16, 2014
Revised: November 6, 2014
Accepted: November 17, 2014
Article in press: November 19, 2014
Published online: February 16, 2015
Processing time: 192 Days and 6.1 Hours
Abstract

Dengue has emerged as an important arboviral disease with significant impact on the disease burden in population residing in tropical countries. Dengue is spread by the bite of Aedes mosquito. The virus seems to have some hepatotoxic effects. Affliction of liver in form of derangements in the liver function tests is common and may include mild elevations in serum bilirubin, elevated transaminases and derangements in serum albumin. Although asymptomatic in most cases, clinical manifestations like jaundice, and acute liver failure (ALF) may occasionally complicate the clinical picture. Indeed, dengue has been implicated as an important cause of ALF in endemic countries. The present review focuses on the hepatic manifestations and the pathogenesis of the liver injury in dengue.

Keywords: Dengue; Liver; Viral hepatitis; Acute liver failure; Transaminases; Bilirubin

Core tip: Dengue is an important cause of febrile illness in the tropical countries. It may affect the liver but the hepatic involvement is usually asymptomatic. However it is recognized as an important cause of acute hepatic failure in endemic counties. Dengue must be considered as a differential in the evaluation of acute hepatic failure and as an acute precipitant in patients presenting with acute on chronic liver failure.