Effect of Adjuvant Homeopathy with Usual Care in Management of Thrombocytopenia Due to Dengue – a Comparative Cohort Study

Background: Dengue is an emerging threat to public health. At present no clear modalities are available for prevention and management of thrombocytopenia due to dengue. This presentation reports the clinical outcomes of integrative homeopathic care in a hospital setting during a severe outbreak of dengue in New Delhi, India, during the period October to December 2015.

Methods: Based on preference, 138 patients received a homeopathic medicine along with usual care (H+UC), and 145 patients received usual care (UC) alone. Assessment of thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100,000/mm³) was the main outcome measure. Kaplan-Meier analysis enabled comparison of the time taken to reach a platelet count of 100,000/mm³.

Results: There was a statistically significantly greater rise in platelet count on day 1 of follow-up in the H+UC group compared to UC alone [mean difference = 12,337; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5,421 to 19,252; p = 0.001]. This trend persisted until day 5 [mean difference = 14,809; 95%CI = 1,615 to 28,004; p = 0.02]. The time taken to reach a platelet count of 100,000/mm³ was nearly two days earlier in the H+UC group compared to UC alone [H+UC: 3.44 days ± standard error of the mean (SE) 0.18; 95% CI = 3.08 to 3.80; UC: 5.28 days ± SE 0.29; 95% CI = 4.71 to 5.86; p = 0.0001].

Conclusion: These results suggest a positive role of adjuvant homeopathy in thrombocytopenia due to dengue. Randomised controlled trials may be conducted to obtain more insight into the comparative effectiveness of this integrative approach.

Keywords: Dengue, thrombocytopenia, homeopathy