How to Ease Muscle Pain from Chikungunya
Determine if you have muscle pain., Recognize other symptoms of chikungunya., Know the differences between chikungunya and dengue fever., Visit your doctor., Know how long the infection might last., Know that the illness is not fatal, but there is...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine if you have muscle pain.
The chikungunya virus is transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes.
As the virus enters the body, it runs through the blood vessels.
The virus mainly affects the human endothelial and epithelial cells known as fibroblasts.
These fibroblasts usually make up the muscle tissue.
As the infection progresses, these fibroblasts are damaged and epithelial and endothelial cells die.
The injury to the muscle’s fibroblasts result in muscle pain. -
Step 2: Recognize other symptoms of chikungunya.
A person may suffer multiple symptoms in addition to muscle and joint pain.
These might include:
High fever of 102 degrees F or more.
Severe lethargy.
Inability to get up and walk around, or a stiff gait and halted with broad stance, owing to severe painful swollen joints.
A red and slightly raised rash that does not itch.
The rash will appear on the trunk and extremities.
Blistering on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, causing peeling of the skin.
Other symptoms, which are usually less prominent, include: headache, vomiting, sore throat, and nausea. , The symptoms of chikungunya have a great deal of overlap with dengue fever.
The geographic locations where people are infected are similar.
Sometimes a diagnostic dilemma is created and providers face a clinical challenge in making the diagnosis.
However, the joint pain is so marked with chikungunya that this generally makes the diagnosis clear.
Dengue has more prominent muscle pains or “myalgias,” but the joints are typically spared. , Diagnosis is based on the signs and symptoms.
Usually, to confirm a diagnosis of chikungunya, the doctor will order a blood test.
The test will detect the presence of Chikungunya antibodies in the blood that will indicate exposure of the patient to the virus.
Blood will be drawn out of the patient’s vein and will be put in a sterile container for examination in the laboratory.
There are ample laboratory tests to confirm that you have chikungunya.
The most widely used is the RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction), which checks for the virus.
The disease leaves a huge viral load, so it is readily detected.
This massive viral load is likely responsible for the patients feeling so terrible. , The acute infection lasts from days to two weeks.
During this time, you will likely be extremely fatigued with high fever and the extremely painful joints and muscles, almost incapable of walking.
Then you will enter a subacute phase, which can continue for months to years.
Sixty-three percent of patients still experience joint pain and swelling a year after the initial infection.In the long term, you may experience a form of seropositive arthritis or rheumatism that has the HLA B27 antibody.
This is similar to a more common post-infectious arthritis, known as Reiter’s syndrome., , Despite the terrible symptoms, the disease is not typically deadly.
However, there is no treatment other than supportive care, similar to other viral illnesses.
There have been trials with certain drugs to try treating the illness, but these drugs have not been shown to be efficacious. -
Step 3: Know the differences between chikungunya and dengue fever.
-
Step 4: Visit your doctor.
-
Step 5: Know how long the infection might last.
-
Step 6: Know that the illness is not fatal
-
Step 7: but there is no treatment.
Detailed Guide
The chikungunya virus is transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes.
As the virus enters the body, it runs through the blood vessels.
The virus mainly affects the human endothelial and epithelial cells known as fibroblasts.
These fibroblasts usually make up the muscle tissue.
As the infection progresses, these fibroblasts are damaged and epithelial and endothelial cells die.
The injury to the muscle’s fibroblasts result in muscle pain.
A person may suffer multiple symptoms in addition to muscle and joint pain.
These might include:
High fever of 102 degrees F or more.
Severe lethargy.
Inability to get up and walk around, or a stiff gait and halted with broad stance, owing to severe painful swollen joints.
A red and slightly raised rash that does not itch.
The rash will appear on the trunk and extremities.
Blistering on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, causing peeling of the skin.
Other symptoms, which are usually less prominent, include: headache, vomiting, sore throat, and nausea. , The symptoms of chikungunya have a great deal of overlap with dengue fever.
The geographic locations where people are infected are similar.
Sometimes a diagnostic dilemma is created and providers face a clinical challenge in making the diagnosis.
However, the joint pain is so marked with chikungunya that this generally makes the diagnosis clear.
Dengue has more prominent muscle pains or “myalgias,” but the joints are typically spared. , Diagnosis is based on the signs and symptoms.
Usually, to confirm a diagnosis of chikungunya, the doctor will order a blood test.
The test will detect the presence of Chikungunya antibodies in the blood that will indicate exposure of the patient to the virus.
Blood will be drawn out of the patient’s vein and will be put in a sterile container for examination in the laboratory.
There are ample laboratory tests to confirm that you have chikungunya.
The most widely used is the RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction), which checks for the virus.
The disease leaves a huge viral load, so it is readily detected.
This massive viral load is likely responsible for the patients feeling so terrible. , The acute infection lasts from days to two weeks.
During this time, you will likely be extremely fatigued with high fever and the extremely painful joints and muscles, almost incapable of walking.
Then you will enter a subacute phase, which can continue for months to years.
Sixty-three percent of patients still experience joint pain and swelling a year after the initial infection.In the long term, you may experience a form of seropositive arthritis or rheumatism that has the HLA B27 antibody.
This is similar to a more common post-infectious arthritis, known as Reiter’s syndrome., , Despite the terrible symptoms, the disease is not typically deadly.
However, there is no treatment other than supportive care, similar to other viral illnesses.
There have been trials with certain drugs to try treating the illness, but these drugs have not been shown to be efficacious.
About the Author
Henry Mitchell
Specializes in breaking down complex lifestyle topics into simple steps.
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