In the wake of the Chikungunya epidemic which struck Reunion Island in 2005 and 2006, we conducted a prospective, multicentre study (RHUMATOCHIK) whose main objective was analyse the characteristics and progression of rheumatic manifestations in patients with post-Chikungunya joint pain.
A cohort of 307 consecutively included patients underwent rheumatological examinations for pain secondary to Chikungunya virus infection. The long-term evaluation was conducted by telephone survey 1 and 2 years after the onset of the viral infection.
At inclusion, mean age was 54 years (24-87) and 83.1% of the patients were female. Chronic joint pain was associated with synovitis in 64.2% of the patients, affecting primarily the wrists, the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, and the ankles. Attempts to detect the viral genome in joint fluid (10 patients) and synovial tissue (6 patients) using the RT-PCR technique were repeatedly unsuccessful. With a mean follow-up of 32 months, joint pain persisted in 83.1% of the patients. Functional impairment, however, was moderate, with a HAQ score of 0.44±0.5.
Chikungunya virus infection is frequently the cause of joint manifestations that can persist for several months, or even several years. In some cases, the clinical symptoms closely resemble those usually associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Further studies are necessary to improve the therapeutic management of these patients.