Chronicity and quality of life in Chikungunya virus infection: a cross-sectional study in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is the second most widespread arboviral disease after dengue, and a significant number of patients suffer from a spectrum of chronic symptoms. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of chronic CHIKV infection and its impact on the quality of life of patients. This cross-sectional study was carried out during the CHIKV epidemic in Colombia. For the diagnosis of CHIKV infection, clinical and laboratory criteria were used. Chronic CHIKV infection was defined as a persistence of symptoms after 3 months of the acute episode and health-related quality of life was measured using the Short Form- 36 Health Survey. We selected 290 patients with clinical criteria for CHIKV infection, 172 had positive IgG test anti-CHIKV and were analyzed in the study. The mean age of patients was 43.2 years (SD = 15.4), 128 (74.4 %) were female. Chronic CHIKV infection was documented in 149 (86.6 %, 95 %CI 80.9-91.1). The most frequent symptom was persistent join pain in 94.0 % and affected more frequently knees (67.8 %) and ankles (65.1 %). The SF-36 showed lower values in physical and mental summaries in chronic CHIKV infection compared with non-chronic disease (p value < 0.001). These results show that chronic CHIKV infection is common after an acute episode of CHIKV infection and has a significant impact on the physical and mental health of patients. Health systems must be prepared to adequately identify and care for this population.