Inflammation, fibrosis and E1 glycoprotein persistence in joint tissue of patients with post-Chikungunya chronic articular disease

INTRODUCTIONChikungunya chronic joint disease causes debilitating arthralgia, significantly impacting the quality of life of affected individuals.METHODSIn this study, patients underwent clinical follow-ups, joint biopsies, and pre-biopsy and 24 months post-biopsy serum dosage of cytokines.RESULTSAll participants were female and had pain in 12 joints on average, with 41.17% exhibiting moderate disease activity. Histopathological analysis revealed collagen deposition. Indirect immunofluorescence detected the CHIKV glycoprotein E1 antigen, and an increase in cytokines.CONCLUSIONSPersistent inflammation and ineffective antiviral immune responses leading to antigen persistence may contribute to chronic CHIKV arthritis.