Challenges of dengue and coronavirus disease 2019 coinfection: two case reports

Agudelo Rojas, Olga Lucia; Tello-Cajiao, María Elena; Rosso, Fernando

BACKGROUND: Dengue fever and coronavirus disease 2019 have now begun to overlap within tropical and subtropical regions. This is due to the high prevalence of dengue fever in these regions and the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic situation. The similarity of symptoms between the two diseases can confuse diagnoses, but coinfection can also occur. CASE PRESENTATION: We present two cases of patients with dengue and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 coinfection. The first case is that of a 24-year-old Hispanic woman with acute fever, odynophagia, and diarrhea, without respiratory symptoms and with positive molecular tests for both dengue and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The second case is that of a 59-year-old Hispanic male patient with fever and respiratory symptoms of 2 weeks duration, negative molecular tests, and positive serological tests for both viruses. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of both viral infections can help elucidate diagnoses and prognoses. CONCLUSIONS: Severe dengue infection is common in young adults, while coronavirus disease 2019 is generally asymptomatic. In older people, the severity of dengue fever will depend on their comorbidities or the infectious serotype, but coronavirus disease 2019 is consistently more severe in this group. The accurate diagnosis of both infections can better guide clinical management, as well as public health actions in transmission control, now especially important during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.