Characterisation of the clinical forms of chronic chikungunya: an observational cohort study in Rio de Janeiro
International Journal of Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijid.2026.109050
- PMID
- 42617941
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203769701
- Study type
- Cohort study
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The substantial proportion of patients experiencing chronic symptoms with functional impact suggests a need for early risk stratification and integration of long-term care protocols into arboviral disease management systems.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study aimed to characterize clinical presentation during acute and chronic phases of chikungunya virus infection and identify predictors of chronicity in Brazil.
Study design
Prospective observational cohort study conducted in a Rio de Janeiro emergency department from March 2016 to May 2017. Adults with suspected chikungunya were tested by RT-PCR and those with laboratory-confirmed infection were enrolled and followed at 90 days by telephone.
Population and setting
Adult patients presenting to the emergency department of Hospital Quinta D'Or in Rio de Janeiro with suspected chikungunya during an outbreak period.
Main findings
Among 100 PCR-confirmed cases completing follow-up, 38% reported chronic manifestations at day 90. Female sex and increasing age were independently associated with chronic disease. Persistent symptoms were associated with pain interference affecting mood, work, and sleep.
Public-health relevance
The substantial proportion of patients experiencing chronic symptoms with functional impact suggests a need for early risk stratification and integration of long-term care protocols into arboviral disease management systems.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full interpretation of study limitations, including loss to follow-up, generalizability beyond a single emergency department, and potential selection bias, requires review of the complete publication.
GIDS interpretation
The article was indexed under chikungunya and dengue disease classifiers and linked to Brazil, enabling retrieval in queries for arboviral disease outcomes or long-term sequelae in Latin American populations. This reflects discoverability based on confirmed diagnoses and geographic context.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 4 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.