Role of C-reactive protein in patients with diabetes infected by dengue virus. Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, based on chronic inflammation, and accompanied by several comorbidities. Dengue fever is a disease caused by the bite of a mosquito ( Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus ) that progresses through various stages, ranging from a febrile illness to hemorrhagic disease and hypovolemic shock. High levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein with diverse effects on the body, have been reported in both T2DM and dengue. The frequency of T2DM patients becoming infected with the dengue virus (DENV) is considered likely. Thus, a patient with dengue/T2DM will experience the effects of CRP, DENV, and diabetes. This review aims to give an overview of their potential effects. This review summarizes the current published literature (searched on PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science) regarding the factors that affect pathogenesis of dengue, CRP effects and diabetes type 2 searched up to 2025. We found that CRP, either alone or in combination with DENV, could induce effects leading to severe progression of both dengue and T2DM. Thus, CRP, with or without the action of DENV, can affect insulin receptors, the glycation of molecules, the expression of receptors for these glycated compounds (RAGE), induces liver damage, alters the coagulation system, the host microbiota, and possibly the central nervous system. In conclusion, severe alterations in dengue/T2DM may be related to alterations in the aforementioned systems, with both CRP and dengue representing factors inducing disease severity.