Physiotherapeutic evaluation and intervention proposal on a patient with post-chikungunya chronic arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya fever is an arboviral disease characterized by a high morbidity rate related to intense and persistent arthralgia, causing a decrease in both quality of life (QoL) and productivity. This study aimed to report functional evaluation and multimodal physiotherapeutic intervention on a patient with post-chikungunya chronic arthritis (PCCA). CASE PRESENTATION: Woman, 47 years old, resident of the municipality of Belém, state of Pará, northern Brazil, with clinical diagnosis of chikungunya fever marked by fever, swelling, pain in the joints of the hands and feet, and headache. The physiotherapeutic treatment started three months after the diagnosis and consisted of 24 sessions composed of electrotherapy, thermotherapy, and kinesiotherapy resources. The patient progressed from an initial status of intense pain in several joints to low pain in a single joint and showed improvement in all domains of QoL, mainly in limitations by physical and emotional aspects and functional capacity. CONCLUSIONS: This case report details a proposal of multimodal physiotherapeutic intervention for a patient with functional impairments due to PCCA, suggesting that the use of physiotherapeutic resources may help this process and bring some assistance to those affected by the disease.

Treatment of chikungunya chronic arthritis: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Chikungunya (CHIK) is a tropical arbovirus, transmitted by the female mosquito Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Brazil, there have been cases reported since 2014. The initial manifestations of this virus are sudden onset high fever, headache, chills, rashes, myalgia and intense joint pain. Usually, CHIK presents the acute and chronic phases, the latter characterized by bilateral polyarthralgia, which can last for months or even years. During this period, autoimmune diseases can be triggered, making the picture even more complicated. METHOD: A systematic review was performed on the PubMed and Scielo databases in January 2017. Clinical trials, cohorts, case-control and case reports were included in the study. Expert opinions, societal consensuses and literary reviews were exclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The studies were descriptively analyzed and the data was grouped according to methodological similarity. RESULTS: Twenty-four (24) articles were selected and, in compliance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 were eliminated, with six studies remaining in the present review: five clinical trials and one case report. CONCLUSION: When the manifestations of CHIK become chronic and, the longer they last, more complications arise. Polyarthralgia can be immaterial, distancing individuals from their daily-life activities. Anti-inflammatory drugs (either steroid or not), in addition to immunosuppressants, homeopathy and physiotherapy are measures of treatment that, according to the literature, have been successful in relieving or extinguishing symptoms. However, it is fundamental that studies of CHIK treatment be further developed.

Treatment of chikungunya chronic arthritis: A systematic review / Tratamento de artralgia crônica da chikungunya: uma revisão sistemática

Summary Introduction: Chikungunya (CHIK) is a tropical arbovirus, transmitted by the female mosquito Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Brazil, there have been cases reported since 2014. The initial manifestations of this virus are sudden onset high fever, headache, chills, rashes, myalgia and intense joint pain. Usually, CHIK presents the acute and chronic phases, the latter characterized by bilateral polyarthralgia, which can last for months or even years. During this period, autoimmune diseases can be triggered, making the picture even more complicated. Method: A systematic review was performed on the PubMed and Scielo databases in January 2017. Clinical trials, cohorts, case-control and case reports were included in the study. Expert opinions, societal consensuses and literary reviews were exclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The studies were descriptively analyzed and the data was grouped according to methodological similarity. Results: Twenty-four (24) articles were selected and, in compliance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 were eliminated, with six studies remaining in the present review: five clinical trials and one case report. Conclusion: When the manifestations of CHIK become chronic and, the longer they last, more complications arise. Polyarthralgia can be immaterial, distancing individuals from their daily-life activities. Anti-inflammatory drugs (either steroid or not), in addition to immunosuppressants, homeopathy and physiotherapy are measures of treatment that, according to the literature, have been successful in relieving or extinguishing symptoms. However, it is fundamental that studies of CHIK treatment be further developed.

Resumo Introdução: A chikungunya é uma arbovirose tropical, transmitida pela fêmea dos mosquitos Aedes aegypti e Aedes albopictus. No Brasil, existem casos relatados desde 2014. As manifestações iniciais dessa virose são: febre alta de início súbito, cefaleia, calafrios, erupções cutâneas, mialgia e dor articular intensa. Normalmente, a chikungunya apresenta as fases aguda e crônica, sendo a última caracterizada pela poliartralgia bilateral, que pode durar meses e até anos. Durante esse período, doenças autoimunes podem ser desencadeadas, tornando o quadro ainda mais complicado. Método: Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática nos bancos de dados PubMed e Scielo em janeiro de 2017. Ensaios clínicos, coortes, casos-controle e relatos de caso foram incluídos na pesquisa. Opiniões de especialista, consensos de sociedades e revisões literárias foram critérios de exclusão. Foram avaliados estudos nas línguas inglesa, espanhola e portuguesa. Os estudos foram analisados descritivamente, e os dados agrupados, conforme semelhança metodológica. Resultados: Foram selecionados 24 artigos; em obediência aos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, 18 foram eliminados, restando seis estudos na presente revisão: cinco ensaios clínicos e um relato de caso. Conclusão: Quando as manifestações da chikungunya se tornam crônicas, quanto mais tempo duram, mais complicações surgem. A poliartralgia pode ser incapacitante, afastando os indivíduos das suas atividades de vida diária. Anti-inflamatórios (esteroides ou não), somados a imunossupressores, homeopatia e fisioterapia são medidas de tratamento que, conforme a literatura, têm alcançado êxito no alívio ou na extinção dos sintomas. Todavia, é fundamental que os estudos do tratamento da chikungunya sejam mais aprofundados.

Therapeutic administration of a recombinant human monoclonal antibody reduces the severity of chikungunya virus disease in rhesus macaques.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that causes a febrile syndrome in humans associated with acute and chronic debilitating joint and muscle pain. Currently no licensed vaccines or therapeutics are available to prevent or treat CHIKV infections. We recently isolated a panel of potently neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), one (4N12) of which exhibited prophylactic and post-exposure therapeutic activity against CHIKV in immunocompromised mice. Here, we describe the development of an engineered CHIKV mAb, designated SVIR001, that has similar antigen binding and neutralization profiles to its parent, 4N12. Because therapeutic administration of SVIR001 in immunocompetent mice significantly reduced viral load in joint tissues, we evaluated its efficacy in a rhesus macaque model of CHIKV infection. Rhesus macaques that were treated after infection with SVIR001 showed rapid elimination of viremia and less severe joint infiltration and disease compared to animals treated with SVIR002, an isotype control mAb. SVIR001 reduced viral burden at the site of infection and at distant sites and also diminished the numbers of activated innate immune cells and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. SVIR001 therapy; however, did not substantively reduce the induction of CHIKV-specific B or T cell responses. Collectively, these results show promising therapeutic activity of a human anti-CHIKV mAb in rhesus macaques and provide proof-of-principle for its possible use in humans to treat active CHIKV infections.

Cura da Chikungunya Pela Homeopatia: Relato de Caso / Chikungunya Cure for Homeopathy: Case Report

A Chikungunya é uma arbovirose transmitida ao homem pela picada do mosquito Aedes. É infecciosa e impossibilitante. Encontrou no Brasil um clima propício ao seu rápido desenvolvimento. Não tem tratamento ou vacina específicos. É pouco descrita na literatura por ter reaparecido só recentemente. Relata se o caso de um paciente de 26 anos com Chikungunya diagnosticado posteriormente e mostra que a cura com homeopatia é possível e segura. Estudos devem ser incentivados não só para o tratamento mais também para prevenção, evitando se assim epidemias. (AU)

Chikungunya is an arboviral illness transmitted to humans by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is infectious and makes it impossible for the patient to perform activities. Found in Brazil a conducive climate to its rapid development. It doesn’t have any specific treatment or vaccine. It is little described in the literature because it reappeared recently. It is reported the case of a 26 year old patient with Chikungunya disease later diagnosed and shows that cure with homeopathy is possible and safe. Studies should be encouraged not only for treatment but also for prevention, thus avoiding epidemics. (AU)

Fiebre de Chikungunya: reporte de tres casos del Hospital Naval Almirante Nef / Chikungunya fever: report of three cases from Almirante Nef Naval Hospital

Chikungunya fever is an emerging infection in our country due to travelers to endemic areas. It presents acutely with high fever, fatigue, headache, myalgia, skin rash and arthritis, usually as a symmetric polyarthritis compromising the interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints, wrist, elbow, ankle and knee. While most of the symptoms last about a week, arthralgias may become chronic and generate significant functional impairment. Chikungunya has been postulated as a triggering factor for rheumatoid arthritis because of the presence of positive rheumatoid factor. We present the three confirmed cases in Almirante Nef Naval Hospital with the review of the published literature...

La fiebre de Chikungunya es una infección novedosa en nuestro país pues su contagio se produce por viajeros en zonas endémicas. Se presenta generalmente en forma aguda con fiebre alta, astenia, cefalea, mialgia, rash cutaneo y artritis, mayoritariamente como poliartritis simétrica comprometiendo las articulaciones interfalángicas, metacarpofalángicas, muñecas, codos, tobillo y rodillas. Si bien la mayoría de los síntomas duran aproximadamente una semana, las artralgias pueden hacerse crónicas y generar un importante deterioro funcional. Se ha postulado que podría ser un factor gatillante de artritis reumatoide ante la presencia de factor reumatoideo positivo. A continuación se presentan los tres casos confirmados del Hospital Naval Almirante Nef junto a la revisión de la literatura publicada hasta el momento...

Protection against Chikungunya virus induced arthralgia following prophylactic treatment with adenovirus vectored interferon (mDEF201).

Recent outbreaks of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection have resulted in millions of cases of disease with significant morbidity. No approved antiviral treatments exist for the prevention or treatment of this viral disease. Infection with CHIKV results in a high rate of symptomatic disease that primarily includes a debilitating arthralgia. To model this cardinal disease manifestation, adult DBA/1J mice were challenged with CHIKV by footpad injection. Viremia and hind limb virus titers increased ∼100-fold while spleen virus increased >1000-fold within 1day post-virus infection (dpi). Footpad swelling was measured over a 10-day period, with peak swelling observed between 6 and 7dpi. Histology of the hind leg at the site of virus challenge showed evidence of myositis and synovitis starting on 5dpi. Cytokine profiling of the hind limb at the site of inoculation revealed a biphasic inflammatory response represented by an increase in IL-6, MCP-1, IFN-γ, MIP-1α, RANTES, and IL-17. To investigate the prophylactic capacity of IFN, mice were treated with mDEF201, an adenovirus-vectored IFN-α. Intranasal administration of a single 10(7)pfu/ml dose of mDEF201 administered 21days to 24h prior to infection, significantly reduced footpad swelling, virus titers in the hind leg and spleen, and several inflammatory cytokines. Efficacy was not observed when treatment was initiated 24h after virus challenge. This arthralgia model of CHIKV recapitulates relevant disease features commonly observed in human disease making it applicable to preclinical testing of therapies that target both viral replication and the associated joint disease.