1Department of General Medicine, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu, Tamilnadu, India.
Hematologic aberrations, such as thrombocytopenia and leukopenia, commonly occur in patients with dengue fever and occur in tandem with malignant hematologic disorders; therefore, these two diseases frequently overlap for differential diagnostic purposes in endemic areas. A case report is presented for a 35-year-old male patient who had been diagnosed with dengue fever based on the history of low-grade fever, myalgias, retro-orbital pain, and dysuria for the past ten days, as well as positive NS1 and IgM from outside laboratory analysis. Because the patient had persistent cytopenias that were beyond the expected duration of the course of dengue fever, he underwent further evaluation. A peripheral blood smear revealed more than 35% of the cells to be blasts with Sudan Black B positivity, and a bone marrow aspirate showed hypercellularity with greater than 60% of myeloblasts present. This allowed for confirmation of acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. The patient was started on the standard "7+3" regimen of cytarabine and daunorubicin; however, he rapidly deteriorated and died within 7 days. Patients with dengue fever who develop persistent cytopenias should evaluate for the presence of hematologic malignancies.
Keywords: Dengue fever, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Cytopenias, Diagnostic dilemma, Peripheral smear.
How to cite this article: Sethubaskaran A, Samadhi CVSSK, Nadipally SR, Kumarasamy S, Kumar JS. Acute Myeloid Leukemia Unveiled in a Dengue-Positive Patient: A Dual Diagnostic Dilemma. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 680-687. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.78
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Conflict of interest: None