Doctors at Kauvery Hospital have treated a 42-year-old man who was brought to the hospital with symptoms of stroke but was later diagnosed to be dengue positive.
A release by the hospital said that the patient had acute dysphasia, which referred to a disorder that affected a person’s ability to speak. Prior to that the patient had severe fever and chills for a few days, which was tackled by self-medication. While it generally occurred after a stroke or head injury, the release said that the doctors were wary of diagnosing it as stroke as the person was not old. Moreover, there was no specific body or limb weakness, the release added.
Sivarajan Thandeeswaran, senior consultant, Stroke and Neurovascular Medicine at the hospital, said that an MRI scan revealed an infarct and hyperintense lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum in the brain. “This has an interesting name — the boomerang sign — as it is in the shape of a boomerang. Only a handful of such cases have been documented,” he said.
While the doctors began treating him with aspirin and statin to address the condition, his blood test showed an abnormal reduction in platelet count. A subsequent test performed for COVID-19 and dengue showed that the patient was dengue positive.
He was treated for dengue. Post-treatment, MRI scan showed reduction in the infarct, which indicated good recovery, the doctor said.
Aravindan Selvaraj, cofounder and executive director of the hospital, said that unique cases like these provided great insights that can help treat patients who come with similar challenges in the future. “In this case, the patient had self medicated when he had dengue, which then progressed to acute stroke. Such complications can be avoided by seeking treatment early,” he said.
