Chikungunya is known to increase mortality risk in older people and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions. A new study has compared the mortality risk between individuals with chikungunya and those without the disease. The study utilized Brazil’s national databases, including over 110 million individuals, to evaluate the mortality risk following chikungunya.
Compared to unexposed individuals, individuals (age: 10 to 38 years) with chikungunya had eight- and two-fold increased risk of all-cause natural death within seven days and at 57–84 days of symptom onset, respectively. In addition, chikungunya increased the mortality risk through cerebrovascular diseases (Incidence rate ratio [IRR] – 1.80), diabetes (IRR – 3.75), and ischemic heart disease (IRR – 3.67) within 28 days of the disease onset. This study recommends that chikungunya management guidelines should highlight the…
