Tuesday, 23 April 2013

YET ANOTHER CASE OF DENGUE.


 D.K. a girl aged 11 years, suffering from fever and bodyache for 4 days was admitted with a local pediatrician. After observation for 3 days she was investigated for the cause of fever. Her platelet count was precariously low at 42000/ul. The fever continued onto the fourth day when the pediatrician made a presumptive diagnosis of Dengue and referred the case to a referral hospital in Belgaum. The parents were too poor to afford allopathic treatment, that too in a referral hospital. They met a patient of mine who redirected them to me.

18/04/2013   11:45am
Child gives history of high grade fever  with headache, bodyache since 4 days. Chills- heatdry < midnight. Vomiting on attempting to eat even a little.  Intense thirst for small quantities often. Tongue- red edges and tip. Child unusually weak and exhausted, unable to sit beside me to be examined. They did not have money to test for Dengue. Temp: 102*F
I gave her Arsenic Alb in 1M potency every hour and asked them to report next morning.

19/04/2013     1:00pm
 Child was much better and able to sit by my side as I examined her. Temp 100*F. Had consumed rice water and coconut water since last night. She had a smile on her face which told me I had hit the nail on the head. Platelet count: 61000/ul. Dengue test: IgM positive. Arsenic reduced to 4 hourly.

20/04/2013   12 noon.
Child much better, taking light food, no vomiting or fever. Came into the clinic, talking  and smiling.

21/04/2013     11:30am
No complaints. Platelet count: 1,80,000/ul
Child put on placebo for 24 hrs.

As of today child is perfectly OK and all treatment has been stopped. Cost of 5 days treatment and consultation- Rs 1500/-. approximately 27 US dollars!!!

Knowledge of materia medica and appropriate posology is a must to obtain repeated success in such critical cases. 

 Admission to a referral hospital would have entailed a weeks admission and treatment probably with platelet transfusions if the count had dipped any lower. A huge bill would have followed, pushing the already impoverished family into penury and a loan burden. The WHO has already identified the high cost of allopathic care and treatment as a major cause of poverty in India. Why do we not promote Homeopathy?

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