Clinical and epidemiological characteristics and persistence of joint damage in patients with fever due to chikungunya

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decade (2015–2025), Latin America has been the scene of multiple epidemic outbreaks of arboviruses with clinical, social, economic and ecological implications.Objective: To characterize the adult population confirmed with chikungunya fever during the recent outbreak of the last quarter of 2025 residing in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba, according to selected epidemiological and clinical variables.Methods: An observational, descriptive, case series study was carried out in 40 adult patients confirmed with Chikungunya fever, belonging to several health areas of  Santiago de Cuba municipality.Results: The predominant age group was between 45 and 64 years. From the total of patients, 30 were female. Fever (97.5%), arthralgia (87.5%), and vertigo (60.0%) were the most prevalent symptoms and signs in this series. Thirty-six patients (90.0%) experienced functional impairment. 72.5% of the patients continued to experience pain as a persistent joint manifestation. The percentage of all progressive joint manifestations was slightly higher in women, particularly functional impairment, which was estimated at 72.2% for this gender.Conclusions: Chikungunya infection showed a predominance of fever, with very varied symptoms, but with a marked predominance of persistent joint symptoms and functional impairment, especially in women, as well as non-joint clinical events that significantly affect the quality of life of those affected.