Chikungunya: IMA president Dr KK Aggarwal provides insights into symptoms and medication
Dr KK Aggarwal, The President Of The Indian Medical Association Has Come Out With His Detailed Theory On Chikungunya And How Can The Deadly Viral Be Cured.
New Delhi:
The national capital region has been under the grip of the deadly Chikungunya virus for some time now.
In light with how to combat the disease, Dr KK Aggarwal, the president of the Indian Medical Association had come out with his detailed theory on Chikungunya fever and how can the same be cured.
The following are the excerpts about how he defines the viral and how can the affected patients be cured from the deadly menace.
Chikungunya fever
- Chikungunya fever is a non fatal debilitating viral illness, spreads by the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti / albipecto mosquito.
Symptoms
- Symptoms develop 3-7 days bite by an infected mosquito. Classical triad is skin rash, joint pains and high fever.
- Most patients will recover within 1-2 week. Cold compression may easy pain. There is no vaccine to prevent or drugs to treat. One must take plenty of rest and drink fluids to prevent dehydration.
- Aspirin or NSAIDS should not be taken until dengue is ruled out. Both ailments may present with similar symptoms. In 20%, joint involvement may persist for weeks and in 10% cases, they tend to persist for months.
- In 10 %, swelling disappears; pain subsides, but will reappear with every other febrile illness for many months. Each time the same joints get swollen, with mild effusion and symptoms persist for a week or two after subsidence of the fever.
- 92% have symmetric polyarthralgias, 67% arthritis, 75% skin rash. 89% have very good clinical response to NSAIDS. 27% require low-dose steroids & 5% methotrexate therapy.
Medication prescribed for affected patients
- Standard treatment is paracetamol one gram up to four times a day for up to four weeks.
- At four weeks if pain persist four weeks course of oral steroids can be given.
- At eight weeks if pain persist specific disease modifying drugs like hydroxychloroquibe may need to be added.
The problem can manifest into the following medical disorders, if not treated properly
- Chikungunya can unmask psoriasis arthritis of rheumatoid gathia arthritis in some cases
- In some cases it can cause neuro and ocular manifestations ( encephalitis, mono neuritis, optic neuritis)
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First Published : 19 Sep 2016, 09:32:00 AM
