What does dengue IgG mean?

IgG is an antibody made by the immune system after exposure. A positive dengue IgG may reflect an earlier infection or a response that has developed during a current illness. It usually cannot identify exactly when exposure happened, and one result cannot reliably distinguish a current infection from past exposure.

A clinician reads IgG with the illness timeline, examination, other dengue tests and symptoms such as fever, headache, chills, muscle aches or joint pain. The result does not measure severity and should not be used to predict complications.

Show the complete report to a GP Consultation clinician and mention when symptoms started, previous dengue illness, travel and any medical conditions. Follow advice about repeat testing and hydration. Until dengue is clarified, use clinician-approved fever relief and avoid aspirin or ibuprofen unless advised.

Seek urgent assessment for severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding, easy bruising, confusion, breathing difficulty, fainting, marked weakness or inability to drink. These symptoms need attention regardless of whether IgG is positive, negative or not yet available.

Ask whether the IgG result suggests past exposure, whether another dengue test is useful, when testing should be repeated, and how to recognise deterioration.