Severe Dengue Complicated By Acute Pancreatitis

Dengue is a mosquito borne viral hemorrhagic fever which is endemic in the tropical countries and adjacent subtropics. Severe dengue is of two types, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), both of which are life-threatening. In the medical literature, a large number of atypical presentations of dengue fever have been documented till now. However, we are reporting a rare and deadly complication of dengue fever in the form of acute pancreatitis. A 16 year old female had presented with severe dengue with shock and acute pain in abdomen because of pancreatitis. The physiopathogenesis of acute pancreatitis in dengue has not been worked out yet, but there are various possible mechanisms which have been postulated. The need of the hour is to know in depth the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis in severe dengue, so that specific management strategies can be devised for this critical complication.