Pune: A growing number of chikungunya patients in the city and Mumbai are not recovering as expected and progressing into a chronic phase , known as chronic chikungunya disease or chronic chikungunya arthritis , according to rheumatologists . "The earlier data suggested that only 5-7% of chikungunya cases turned chronic. In this outbreak, about 20-30% of patients are being referred by general practitioners and family doctors because their symptoms are persisting beyond six weeks despite routine treatment," said Dr Pravin Patil, a leading rheumatologist in the city.
The current outbreak is proving to be more severe and affecting more patients with chronic joint pains than previous ones. "Chikungunya is no longer just a once-in-30-years epidemic. It is coming back more often, like dengue.
We are seeing patients with severe chikungunya-related arthritis, who had the infection years ago. Certainly, we will see more such patients in the coming years. We need more follow-up data on these patients to determine the exact prognosis of chronic chikungunya arthritis," Dr Patil added.
In the current chikungunya outbreak scenario, fever and rash followed by joint pain should be considered chikungunya, even if the test results are negative. If the pain persists beyond four to six weeks, patients should consult a rheumatologist for an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, experts said. "Ideally, any joint pain or swelling that lasts more than four to six weeks after the acute illness sho.