The following study was intended to evaluate the occurrence of typical signs and symptoms in the cases of classic dengue and hemorrhagic dengue fever, during the 2001-2002 epidemic in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The authors reviewed 155,242 cases notified to the Information System of Notification Diseases, from January/2001 to June/2002: 81,327 cases were classified as classic dengue and 958 as hemorrhagic dengue fever, with a total of 60 deaths. Common symptoms, such as fever, headache, prostration, myalgia, nausea and retro-orbital pain, had a high incidence in both classic and hemorrhagic dengue fever. On the other hand, hemorrhagic signs and other signs of severe disease, such as shock, gastrointestinal bleeding, petechiae, epistaxis, abdominal pain and pleural effusion, were strongly associated to hemorrhagic dengue fever. Besides, the occurrence of death was 34.8 times higher in hemorrhagic dengue fever than in classic dengue (OR = 34.8; CI 19.7-61.3).