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. 2016 Mar 16:5:360.
doi: 10.12688/f1000research.8235.2. eCollection 2016.

Post-chikungunya chronic inflammatory rheumatism: results from a retrospective follow-up study of 283 adult and child cases in La Virginia, Risaralda, Colombia

Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales  1 , Andrés F Gil-Restrepo  2 , Valeria Ramírez-Jaramillo  2 , Cindy P Montoya-Arias  2 , Wilmer F Acevedo-Mendoza  2 , Juan E Bedoya-Arias  2 , Laura A Chica-Quintero  2 , David R Murillo-García  2 , Juan E García-Robledo  3 , Juan D Castrillón-Spitia  4 , Jose J Londoño  5 , Hector D Bedoya-Rendón  4 , Javier de Jesús Cárdenas-Pérez  4 , Jaime A Cardona-Ospina  2 , Guillermo J Lagos-Grisales  2
Affiliations

Post-chikungunya chronic inflammatory rheumatism: results from a retrospective follow-up study of 283 adult and child cases in La Virginia, Risaralda, Colombia

Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales et al. F1000Res. .

Abstract

Objective: There are limited studies in Latin America regarding the chronic consequences of the Chikungunya virus (CHIK), such as post-CHIK chronic inflammatory rheumatism (pCHIK-CIR). We assessed the largest cohort so far of pCHIK-CIR in Latin America, at the municipality of La Virginia, Risaralda, a new endemic area of CHIK in Colombia.

Methods: We conducted a cohort retrospective study in Colombia of 283 patients diagnosed with CHIK that persisted with pCHIK-CIR after a minimum of 6 weeks and up to a maximum of 26.1 weeks. pCHIK cases were identified according to validated criteria via telephone.

Results: Of the total CHIK-infected subjects, 152 (53.7%) reported persistent rheumatological symptoms (pCHIK-CIR). All of these patients reported joint pains (chronic polyarthralgia, pCHIK-CPA), 49.5% morning stiffness, 40.6% joint edema, and 16.6% joint redness. Of all patients, 19.4% required and attended for care prior to the current study assessment (1.4% consulting rheumatologists). Significant differences in the frequency were observed according to age groups and gender. Patients aged >40 years old required more medical attention (39.5%) than those ≤40 years-old (12.1%) (RR=4.748, 95%CI 2.550-8.840).

Conclusions: According to our results, at least half of the patients with CHIK developed chronic rheumatologic sequelae, and from those with pCHIK-CPA, nearly half presented clinical symptoms consistent with inflammatory forms of the disease. These results support previous estimates obtained from pooled data of studies in La Reunion (France) and India and are consistent with the results published previously from other Colombian cohorts in Venadillo (Tolima) and Since (Sucre).

Keywords: Chikungunya; Chronic complications; Colombia; Epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: There is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Study area, La Virginia city/municipality, Risaralda department, Colombia, South America.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Kaplan-Meier curve of the cumulative prevalence of pCHIK-CPA by follow-up time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.

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