Rupatadine as an Add-On Therapy for Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: A Case Report

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a severe form of dengue fever. Plasma leakage is the main pathophysiological hallmark that distinguishes DHF from mild dengue infection, and can result in hypovolemic shock and fatal outcome. No specific drugs and vaccines are available to treat dengue disease, and supportive therapy based on fluid replacement therapy and symptomatic medication (e.g., antipyretic/analgesics) should be promptly instituted. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is associated with an increase in vascular permeability and has been found to be elevated in patients with DHF, supporting the use of strong PAF antagonists, such as rupatadine, in the management of severe dengue. We here report the case of a 17-year-old female patient presenting with fever, abdominal pain, headache, nausea, transvaginal bleeding, and thrombocytopenia (platelet count 45,000 cells/mm³), who was diagnosed with DHF by positive dengue IgM and IgG antibodies on the fifth day of illness. The patient was hospitalized, and oral rupatadine 40 mg/day was added to fluid-based supportive therapy. After two days of inpatient treatment, symptoms rapidly improved, and the platelet count increased to 110,000 cells/mm³. Nasal testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection performed on two occasions was negative. In summary, rupatadine as an add-on therapy to conventional therapy could reduce the risk of complications in DHF. This off-label use of rupatadine needs to be explored in larger studies.