Dengue Shock Syndrome Alert! FITTO Announces A New Application To Keep It In Check

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Sometimes extremely hot, sometimes showering rain, it's been a mixed bag of weather these past few months. Rain usually brings a lot of smiles on many people's faces like the farmers and for others like us who love to walk and dance as the sky showers. But looking at the downside this has also led to a rise in dengue cases across India. This 'breakbone or 7-day fever' has been reported to be found in Canacona in Goa, Pune and many other states.

The spotlight now goes to Bhubaneswar, where there is said to be a rise in dengue cases across the state. Times of India reports that in 2023 the capital city reported about 4,000 cases, Odisha reported 43 cases, while the state as a whole reported 288 cases till date.

This year the health and family welfare department is taking up measures to check and prevent the spread of dengue. According to ANI, Odisha CM Minister has taken steps to provide quick relief with rescue operations at the flood-affected Balasore district.

Apart from these awareness campaigns and rescue operations, the FITTO Patient Management, a comprehensive patient management system to streamline operations for the healthcare sector enabling efficient management of practice and patient care is taking a huge step by announcing plans to make an application called DSS (Dengue Shock Syndrome) predictor that would be completely free for the next 2 months in the state of Odisha.

The Dengue Shock Syndrome - Looking at the physiology aspect of it, as all of us breathe, talk and eat in the normal course of our life this leads to certain vibrations in our body which results in microscopic tears or holes in the blood vessels. Now, the function of platelets is that they club together and plug these microscopic tears so that the blood doesn't ooze out from the blood vessels.

In dengue, the platelet count is reduced and when it does, the microscopic tears can't be plugged so the patient starts to bleed internally. The more the platelet count reduces, the internal bleeding increases and gradually the patient goes into a shock known as the Dengue Shock Syndrome.

The DSS predictor - As flooding causes a string of infectious diseases, FITTO Patient Management has taken the initiative to develop a calculator to determine the likelihood of dengue patients being affected by the Dengue Shock Syndrome.

When multiple dengue patients are being treated by a hospital, they don't know which patient's condition would likely deteriorate to this possible life threatening condition. FITTO's DSS calculator inputs the past 3 days platelet counts and helps predict if a patient is likely to go into this severe condition of Dengue Shock Syndrome.

The leading cause of dengue in India - Dengue as it is usually known, is caused by mosquito bites and around the monsoon season every year which inturn leads to a prominent rise in dengue cases in India. Once water is stagnant or collected, that is when the problem arises because the fact is mosquitoes don't breed in flowing water.

To prevent dengue in India - We all can take individual efforts to prevent the spread of dengue. You can also ensure there is no dirty water in your house, proper attention should be given to your open drains and you should also make use of mosquito repellents and mats. The government should continue to aid in different control strategies to prevent dengue from spreading rapidly in India.

The man behind the DSSp application - While Dr Abhijit Ray (the developer of Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSSp application) was studying MBBS in West Bengal, he witnessed many patients succumb to the disease of dengue, one of the major reasons behind it being Dengue Shock Syndrome. The feeling that if something was there to predict which patients are more at risk that would be easier to treat the patients and give ample time to doctors to treat them soon led him to the idea of creating an application for Dengue Shock Syndrome.

Dr Abhijit Ray's message to the community of doctors - According to Dr Abhijit Ray, Dengue Shock Syndrome is present only on the 6th or 10th day of dengue fever not on day 1. Here the platelet count drops continuously below 30,000 or 25,000 that it soon becomes critical and internal bleeding begins. With this application a doctor can predict on the 2nd or 3rd day itself if the patient is at risk of Dengue Shock Syndrome on the 6th or 7th day of dengue.

Normally without this screening technique the doctors get a blood report that the platelet count has dropped to 10,000 to 15,000. They then have to tell the patients relatives to arrange platelets or blood which is scarce and the doctors do not have not much time in their hands to arrange the blood and fuse it which is the leading cause of Dengue Shock Syndrome.

In Dr Abhijit Ray's words, "DSS predictor screens patients at risk, doctors can keep an eye on them, patients' relatives can arrange blood and platelets within 3 to 4 days of time which is huge".

FTTA future projects - FTTA doesn't stop here, some of their projects on the pipeline are -
Heart Failure Predictor - 12-lead ECG or ECG from wrist watches and others are run through an algorithm by doctors and the patients are screened for heart failure. This helps doctors predict if the patient will suffer a heart failure within the next 3 months or so.
Thydor - Hypothyroidism patients tend to check their blood, TSH levels every 6 to 12 months. Talking about the suburbs or rural areas, the problem is they can't find a physician where they can show their blood reports and get their doses corrected. The Thydor application shows your TSH value, understands the dose of levothyroxine you are taking and shows you what dosage to take.

To wrap it up, FITTO and the group of doctors behind these applications have to be appreciated for their efforts in raising the health standards of India. Let's do our best as well to be healthy and to keep our surroundings healthy for a healthier India.

Information attributed to Dr. Abhijit Ray, developer of DSSp application.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.