Role of doxycycline in the treatment of dengue infection: An open-label, randomized, controlled, pilot trial

Abstract

Objective: To measure the effect of doxycycline on inflammatory marker [IL-6, TNF-α, ferritin and C reactive protein (CRP)] levels in patients with dengue infection. Methods: A single-centre, open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial was done in PGIMER Chandigarh from June 2021 to October 2022. Patients were randomized using a simple randomization process into two groups: the doxycycline treatment group (n=35) and the control group (n=34). Patients in the treatment group were given oral doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for five days along with standard treatment, whereas patients in the control group received only standard treatment. The objective was to measure the effect of doxycycline on inflammatory markers in dengue infection. Results: On comparative analysis at day 5, there was a statistically significant reduction in the median values of ferritin and CRP in cases compared to the control group (ferritin: P=0.006 and CRP: P=0.006). No significant reduction was noted in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α. Conclusions: Doxycycline treatment led to a reduction of inflammatory markers in dengue infection.