Even people who were in good health before catching dengue can end up seriously ill. The severe outcomes described include shock, respiratory failure, and damage to multiple organs at the same time. What pushes a healthy patient toward danger is often incorrect treatment, a late arrival at the hospital, or a repeat infection with the virus. Being physically fit before infection therefore does not guarantee a mild course of the disease. How and when a patient gets care appears to matter as much as the condition they were in beforehand.