DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sasjm.2025.v11i12.008

Pages: 1180-1189

Background: Dengue fever continues to challenge healthcare systems in Bangladesh, where hospitalization patterns often reflect both clinical severity and behavioral influences. Understanding determinants of hospital admission can guide rational triage and improve resource allocation. Objective: To assess admission-seeking behavior and identify clinical, demographic, and behavioral determinants of hospitalization among dengue patients in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 serologically confirmed dengue patients admitted to Mugda Medical College Hospital, Dhaka. Data on sociodemographic features, awareness, and care-seeking behavior were collected through structured interviews and hospital records. Logistic regression analyses identified independent predictors of physician-adjudicated necessary admission and delayed presentation. Results: The majority of patients were young adults (mean age 31.8 years), male (57.5%), and from rural areas (46.5%). Fear of dengue (66%) and media-driven anxiety (31%) were leading reasons for early admission. Warning signs were the strongest determinant of necessary hospitalization (AOR = 7.48, p < 0.001), followed by rural residence (AOR = 2.50, p = 0.045). Older age (AOR = 0.65 per 10 years, p = 0.031), lower education (AOR = 0.12, p = 0.003), and knowledge of warning signs (AOR = 0.37, p = 0.038) significantly reduced delayed presentation. Despite high awareness of dengue, only 40.5% could identify danger symptoms requiring admission. Conclusion: Both under- and over-admission patterns were evident, shaped by awareness, anxiety, and access disparities. Strengthening patient education and standardized triage criteria is essential for efficient dengue case management in resource-limited settings.