Ramão Luciano Nogueira Hayd1, Maony Rodrigues Moreno1, Felipe Naveca2, Richard Amdur3, Karol Suchowiecki4, Hugh Watson5, Gary S Firestein6, Gary Simon4, Aileen Y Chang7. 1. Laboratorio de Parasitologia e Vetores da Amazonia, Curso de Enfermagem, Centro de Ciencias da Saude, Universidade Federal de Roraima, Boa Vista, RR, Brazil. 2. Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, FIOCRUZ, Manaus, Brazil. 3. Department of Surgery, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. 4. Department of Medicine, George Washington University, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave Suite 5-416, Washington, DC, 20037, USA. 5. Evotec ID, Lyon, France. 6. Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA. 7. Department of Medicine, George Washington University, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave Suite 5-416, Washington, DC, 20037, USA. chang@email.gwu.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Amazon region of Brazil experienced a large epidemic of East Central South African (ECSA) chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2017 and continuous transmission of CHIKV persists. The impact of chronic arthritis caused by ECSA CHIKV is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to describe the duration, severity, and characteristics of CHIKV arthritis in Roraima, Brazil, in comparison with local controls to further understand the long-term rheumatologic impact of ECSA CHIKV infection. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis comparing clinical arthritis outcomes among 40 cases with chronic (> 3 months) arthritis attributed to their CHIKV disease (n = 40) with control participants who were exposed to CHIKV but did not develop chronic arthritis (n = 40), rheumatoid arthritis controls (n = 40), and healthy controls lacking CHIKV exposure and arthritis (n = 40). FINDINGS: Our primary finding is that over 2 years post-infection, patients report moderate arthritis disease severity comparable with rheumatoid arthritis with the most significant impact on decreased quality of life from pain. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that chronic arthritis caused by ECSA CHIKV infection has had a moderate impact in the Americas. Key Points • Chikungunya infection is responsible for moderate arthritis disease severity. • The East Central South African (ECSA) strain of CHIKV is a cause of persistent arthritis in Roraima, Brazil.
BACKGROUND: The Amazon region of Brazil experienced a large epidemic of East Central South African (ECSA) chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2017 and continuous transmission of CHIKV persists. The impact of chronic arthritis caused by ECSA CHIKV is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to describe the duration, severity, and characteristics of CHIKVarthritis in Roraima, Brazil, in comparison with local controls to further understand the long-term rheumatologic impact of ECSA CHIKV infection. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis comparing clinical arthritis outcomes among 40 cases with chronic (> 3 months) arthritis attributed to their CHIKV disease (n = 40) with control participants who were exposed to CHIKV but did not develop chronic arthritis (n = 40), rheumatoid arthritis controls (n = 40), and healthy controls lacking CHIKV exposure and arthritis (n = 40). FINDINGS: Our primary finding is that over 2 years post-infection, patients report moderate arthritis disease severity comparable with rheumatoid arthritis with the most significant impact on decreased quality of life from pain. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that chronic arthritis caused by ECSA CHIKV infection has had a moderate impact in the Americas. Key Points • Chikungunya infection is responsible for moderate arthritis disease severity. • The East Central South African (ECSA) strain of CHIKV is a cause of persistent arthritis in Roraima, Brazil.
Authors: Hugh Watson; Ramão Luciano Nogueira-Hayd; Maony Rodrigues-Moreno; Felipe Naveca; Giulia Calusi; Karol Suchowiecki; Gary S Firestein; Gary Simon; Aileen Y Chang Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2021-09-17 Impact factor: 4.379