EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF CARICA PAPAYA LEAF EXTRACT ON PLATELET COUNTS IN DENGUE PATIENTS

Abstract

In Dengue fever thrombocytopenia is a major complication in all age groups. Treatment of dengue fever primarily
includes symptomatic and intensive supportive care. Platelet transfusion is the only treatment and it is indicated only in
severe cases. Carica papaya leaf extract (CPLE) are believed to have some role in increasing platelet counts hence this
study was planned to evaluate the role of CPLE in improving dengue thrombocytopenia. Total 100 patients with dengue
fever and thrombocytopenia matching inclusion criteria were included in the study. Control group consist of 50 age
matched dengue patients. The patients were given CPLE (10 ml three times/ day) along with kiwi fruit without any
other treatment. All the subjects were followed up and on the third day platelet and total WBC counts were estimated
then results were compared with previous findings. Paired t-test in SPSS (version 15) was used to compare the mean
values of the parameters in the study group before and after giving CPLE. The mean platelet count of study group before
giving CPLE was 212210±72257 cells/cumm and it was significantly increased to 275282±78969 cells/cumm (p-value
= 0.000). The mean WBC count was also increased in study group after giving CPLE as compared to control group. In
conclusion, increased platelet count and WBC count were noted in the patients after giving CPLE as compared to
control group. Reduction in muscle pain and skin rashes was observed in patients after giving kiwi fruits.