Dengue scare: Panic pushes platelets’ demand in Lucknow through roof
Panic surrounding dengue or chikungunya and many new testing centres having come up in the state capital - diaognosing more people - are termed as the reasons for the spike
This year, the dengue season has witnessed a much higher demand for platelets than usual, doctors say.
This has been largely due to the panic surrounding contracting diseases like dengue or chikungunya, which require immediate raising of platelet counts, when it falls to a certain level. With many new testing centres having come up in the state capital, more people were diagnosed on time, hiking the demand for platelets.
Dr Tulika Chandra, in-charge of the state blood bank and head of transfusion department at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) said, “This year, the demand for platelets has exceeded two times the demand we saw last year.”
She added that as per her estimation, the paranoia and fear of contracting dengue has grown among citizens, which is why several are requesting platelets even when the patient’s platelet count has not dropped to threatening levels.
“Where last year we were getting requests for under 100 units per day, this time, the daily number has gone beyond 200,” she said. Since platelets have a shelf life of five days, maximum, the units that do not get purchased become useless after less than a week, making stockpiling pointless,” she said.
Dengue patients typically require platelet transfusion if the count drops to near 20,000, and are then administered RDP (random donor platelets) or SDP (single donor platelets) based on requirement. Blood banks have lesser stock of units of SDP than they do of RDP as the former is rarer, more concentrated than RDP, more expensive and stronger acting as well. Demand for both have increased, although understandably, the transfusion of SDP is far less frequent as it is meant for serious cases, and more akin to a dialysis process.
Head of transfusion at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Subrat Chandra, said that on the day after Diwali, 40 units of RDP were given out. “We are giving out 30-40 units of RDP a day, and we keep a stock of around 200 units at all times,” said Chandra. “It is at least 10-15 units more a day than we were giving out last year. Further, the demand for SDP has also risen, although SDP is used in very severe cases. Where last year in the dengue season we were giving out a unit a day, now that has risen to at least two to three daily,” he informed. “People are preferring platelet transfusion even if their platelet count is nowhere near as low as 20,000.”
Dr Sanjay Saxena, secretary, Indian Medical Association, Lucknow, attested to the same, saying that the increased panic about contracting dengue has prompted people to be overly cautious. “The severity of dengue is less this year, although testing has been higher,” he said. “The IMA blood bank keeps a stock of 150 to 175 units of RDP daily,” he informed. “Due to an increased anxiety over dengue, people are demanding platelets even when rest and medication is enough for them to recover,” he surmised. He further said, “The IMA blood bank is still new, and we do not keep a stock of SDP as we do not have the equipment yet.”
Dr Vineeta Mittal, president, IMA, and nodal officer for state sentinel lab for dengue testing said, “The dengue season is far from over, and will only see its end at least two weeks after Diwali. Closer to December, when winter will properly set in.”
She further said that due to greater awareness and anxiety regarding dengue, as well as more testing centres, patients are getting diagnosed at earlier stages and going for treatment. “Those with a platelet count of 60,000 have opted for platelet transfusion,” she said.