Clinical and Etiological Profile of Fever with Thrombocytopenia in Patients Admitted to Medical Wards of RDT Hospital, Andhra Pradesh – A Cross-Sectional Study

• Abinaya.s

  Rural development Trust hospital, Bathalapalli, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh

  Author

• G Venkata Ramana

  Rural development Trust hospital, Bathalapalli, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh

  Author

• Raviteja Vanam

  Rural development Trust hospital, Bathalapalli, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh

  Author

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Background: Fever accompanied by thrombocytopenia is a common but critical clinical scenario in tropical regions like Andhra Pradesh, often associated with infectious etiologies such as dengue, malaria, and scrub typhus. The combination poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to overlapping symptoms and the potential for rapid clinical deterioration.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical manifestations, etiological profile, and the correlation between the severity of thrombocytopenia and bleeding tendencies among febrile patients admitted to a rural tertiary care center.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at RDT Hospital, Bathalapalli, involving 115 adult patients admitted with fever (>98.9°F) and platelet count <150,000/μL over a 12-month period. Patients were evaluated through clinical examination, laboratory investigations, and serological testing. Data were statistically analysed using SPSS version 21.0, with a significance level set at p<0.05.

Results: The majority of patients were male (67%) and under 30 years of age. Common symptoms included chills (86.1%), body pain (52.2%), and cough (48.7%). Dengue NS1 antigen was positive in 32.2% of cases, followed by scrub typhus (20.9%) and malaria (14.8%). Bleeding manifestations were observed in 6.1% of patients, significantly associated with platelet counts

<50,000/μL (p<0.0001). Liver enzyme elevations (SGOT and SGPT) were noted in over 75% of patients, indicating systemic involvement.

Conclusion: Dengue fever remains the most prevalent cause of febrile thrombocytopenia in this setting, followed by scrub typhus and malaria. Early identification and targeted management based on local epidemiology can significantly improve patient outcomes.

Data Availability Statement
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Copyright (c) 2025 Abinaya, G Venkata Ramana, Raviteja Vanam (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.