Evidence mapPaperPMID 26565005Full record

Trial reportClinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America2016

Lovastatin for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Dengue: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

James Whitehorn, Chau Van Vinh Nguyen, Lam Phung Khanh, Duong Thi Hue Kien, Nguyen Than Ha Quyen, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tran, Nguyen Thuy Hang, Nguyen Thanh Truong, Luong Thi Hue Tai, Nguyen Thi Cam Huong and 6 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
81citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
15.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

81 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 147 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Trial
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  6. Review
  7. Review
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  9. Article
  10. Antiviral agents for dengue virus.Virologica Sinica · 2025
    Review
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  12. Article
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  17. Article
  18. Dengue Virus Infection: Immune Response and Therapeutic Targets.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025
    Review
  19. Review
  20. Review

21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors at 7 institutions in 5 countries.

James WhitehornLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
Chau Van Vinh NguyenHospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City.
Lam Phung KhanhOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Duong Thi Hue KienOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Nguyen Than Ha QuyenOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Nguyen Thi Thanh TranOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Nguyen Thuy HangOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Nguyen Thanh TruongHospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City.
Luong Thi Hue TaiHospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City.
Nguyen Thi Cam HuongHospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City.
Vo Thanh NhonTien Giang Hospital, My Tho, Vietnam.
Ta Van TramTien Giang Hospital, My Tho, Vietnam.
Jeremy FarrarOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Marcel WolbersOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Cameron P SimmonsOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Bridget WillsOxford University Clinical Research Unit.
Oxford Research (Norway) · NOHospital for Tropical Diseases · VNAngkor Hospital for Children · KHTien Giang General Hospital · VNOxford University Clinical Research Unit · VNUniversity of London · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Wellcome Trust 097430/Z/11/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDengue endangers billions of people in the tropical world, yet no therapeutic is currently available. In part, the severe manifestations of dengue reflect inflammatory processes affecting the vascular endothelium. In addition to lipid lowering, statins have pleiotropic effects that improve endothelial function, and epidemiological studies suggest that outcomes from a range of acute inflammatory syndromes are improved in patients already on statin therapy.

methodsFollowing satisfactory review of a short pilot phase (40 mg lovastatin vs placebo in 30 cases), we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 5 days of 80 mg lovastatin vs placebo in 300 Vietnamese adults with a positive dengue NS1 rapid test presenting within 72 hours of fever onset. The primary outcome was safety. Secondary outcomes included comparisons of disease progression rates, fever clearance times, and measures of plasma viremia and quality of life between the treatment arms.

resultsAdverse events occurred with similar frequency in both groups (97/151 [64%] placebo vs 82/149 [55%] lovastatin; P = .13), and were in keeping with the characteristic clinical and laboratory features of acute dengue. We also observed no difference in serious adverse events or any of the secondary outcome measures.

conclusionsWe found lovastatin to be safe and well tolerated in adults with dengue. However, although the study was not powered to address efficacy, we found no evidence of a beneficial effect on any of the clinical manifestations or on dengue viremia. Continuing established statin therapy in patients who develop dengue is safe.Chinese Clinical Trials Registration. ISRCTN03147572.

Indexed as

AdultAnti-Inflammatory AgentsDengueDouble-Blind MethodDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsFemaleHumansLovastatinMalePlacebosTreatment OutcomeVietnamYoung AdultAnti-Inflammatory AgentsLovastatinPlacebosdenguelovastatinrandomized clinical trial

Identifiers

PMID26565005
PMCPMC4725386
OpenAlexW2262174102

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.