Cytokine Profile in Women Affected by Chikungunya: Analysis of a Prospective Cohort in Northeastern Brazil.

BACKGROUND

Chikungunya (CHIK) is an acute febrile arthritic illness caused by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Understanding the pathophysiology of CHIK is crucial because of the wide distribution of cases and the lack of specific treatments or validated biomarkers. This study aimed to describe the cytokine profiles of female patients with laboratory-confirmed CHIK across the three clinical phases of the disease, monitored at an outpatient clinic in Northeastern Brazil. Additionally, this study evaluated whether cytokine levels were associated with persistent arthralgia and the presence of comorbidities.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study conducted from 2021 to 2024, including 40 female patients and 10 heathy controls (women aged ≥18 years, without comorbidities, not taking medications and non-reactive serologies for CHIK). Blood samples were collected at five time points (0, 21, 90, 180, and 360 days after the symptom onset).

RESULTS

More than half of the patients reported persistent pain. Among CHIK-infected women, interleukin (IL)-10 levels remained elevated from day 21, with statistically significant differences between D0 and D180 and D0 and D360 (p = 0.027). IL-18 levels increased significantly between D0 and D21 (p = 0.020).

CONCLUSIONS

Dynamic cytokine behavior throughout the CHIK phase has been described in other studies and may be influenced by host immunogenetics and other factors.