Conclusions: We found that factors could early predicting severe dengue within 72 hours of illness onset were: platlete count ≤100.000 / mm3, albumin level ≤40 g / l, AST ≥ 80 U / L, ALT ≥ 40 U / L at enrolment and DENV-2 infection Keywords: Severe dengue, children, early prognosis.