ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025
Early low-dose dexamethasone is associated with shorter acute symptom duration in Chikungunya virus infection: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Internists facing emerging arboviral diseases: time to get prepared.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes acute febrile illness with severe arthralgia; management is largely supportive and corticosteroid use remains controversial. We evaluated whether early, short-course, low-dose dexamethasone was associated with shorter acute symptom duration during the 2019 Bangkok outbreak.
methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 187 adults with confirmed CHIKV and severe arthralgia. Thirty-nine received dexamethasone 4 mg/day for 3 days within ≤ 48 h of symptom onset plus standard care; 148 received standard care alone. Primary outcomes were duration of the acute febrile phase and duration of rheumatic manifestations abstracted from records and patient reports. Secondary outcomes included C-reactive protein (CRP) and adverse events. Follow-up laboratory tests occurred at clinician discretion and were summarized in early (days 3-5) and late (days 6-8) windows.
resultsThe dexamethasone group had shorter acute febrile phase (median 3 vs. 5 days, p < 0.001) and rheumatic manifestations (7 vs. 10 days, p < 0.001). At late follow-up, median CRP was lower (20 vs. 35 mg/L, p < 0.001). Adverse events were uncommon and similar (gastrointestinal discomfort 5% vs. 3%, p = 0.45).
conclusionsIn this retrospective cohort, early, short-course, low-dose dexamethasone was associated with shorter acute symptom duration and lower inflammatory markers without an observed increase in adverse events. Randomized trials are warranted to determine efficacy, safety, and generalizability. CLINICAL TRIAL: This study was registered with the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20201022004) on 22 October 2020.
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