Post‐Infectious Fatigue and Depression Following Dengue: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Associated Factors
Abstract
Post-dengue fatigue syndrome is a debilitating long-term condition that affects daily activities, quality of life, and productivity. Its underlying mechanisms remain unclear, but clinical similarities with post-dengue depression complicate differentiation. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and compare factors associated with post-dengue fatigue and post-dengue depression. We searched PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases until 6 June 2025, with an update performed on 31 December 2025. This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analyses were conducted to assess associations of demographic, biological, clinical, medical or psychosocial factors with post-dengue fatigue and post-dengue depression using pooled odds ratios (OR). The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420250655004). Nine studies (2006-2023) covering 1470 patients were included. The systematic review identified 13 factors eligible for meta-analysis: twelve factors for post-dengue fatigue and one for post-dengue depression. Among these factors, female sex (OR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.33-2.14), myalgia (OR 3.45, 95% CI: 2.10-5.69), and severe dengue (OR 4.02, 95% CI: 1.45-11.13), particularly dengue haemorrhagic fever (OR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.04-2.24), were associated with post-dengue fatigue. No factor was associated with post-dengue depression in the meta-analysis. However, narrative synthesis revealed thrombocytopaenia as a shared factor of both outcomes. This study highlights risk profiles for post-dengue fatigue syndrome and depression, with female sex, myalgia, and dengue severity specifically associated with fatigue, while thrombocytopaenia might indicate a shared pathway. These findings support targeted surveillance and management strategies for at-risk patients and highlight the need for further research into post-dengue depression mechanisms.
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BibTeX
@article{conde2026postinfectious,
title = {{Post‐Infectious Fatigue and Depression Following Dengue: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Associated Factors}},
author = {Anna Condé and Olivier Maillard and Chaturaka Rodrigo and Antoine Bertolotti and Carolina X Sandler and Andrew R Lloyd and Patrick Gérardin},
journal = {Reviews in Medical Virology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/rmv.70164},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05790977v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Post‐Infectious Fatigue and Depression Following Dengue: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Associated Factors
AU - Anna Condé
AU - Olivier Maillard
AU - Chaturaka Rodrigo
AU - Antoine Bertolotti
AU - Carolina X Sandler
AU - Andrew R Lloyd
AU - Patrick Gérardin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Reviews in Medical Virology
DO - 10.1002/rmv.70164
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05790977v1
AB - Post-dengue fatigue syndrome is a debilitating long-term condition that affects daily activities, quality of life, and productivity. Its underlying mechanisms remain unclear, but clinical similarities with post-dengue depression complicate differentiation. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and compare factors associated with post-dengue fatigue and post-dengue depression. We searched PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases until 6 June 2025, with an update performed on 31 December 2025. This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analyses were conducted to assess associations of demographic, biological, clinical, medical or psychosocial factors with post-dengue fatigue and post-dengue depression using pooled odds ratios (OR). The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420250655004). Nine studies (2006-2023) covering 1470 patients were included. The systematic review identified 13 factors eligible for meta-analysis: twelve factors for post-dengue fatigue and one for post-dengue depression. Among these factors, female sex (OR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.33-2.14), myalgia (OR 3.45, 95% CI: 2.10-5.69), and severe dengue (OR 4.02, 95% CI: 1.45-11.13), particularly dengue haemorrhagic fever (OR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.04-2.24), were associated with post-dengue fatigue. No factor was associated with post-dengue depression in the meta-analysis. However, narrative synthesis revealed thrombocytopaenia as a shared factor of both outcomes. This study highlights risk profiles for post-dengue fatigue syndrome and depression, with female sex, myalgia, and dengue severity specifically associated with fatigue, while thrombocytopaenia might indicate a shared pathway. These findings support targeted surveillance and management strategies for at-risk patients and highlight the need for further research into post-dengue depression mechanisms.
SN - 1052-9276
SN - 1099-1654
ER -