Vol. 2, Issue 1, Part A (2020)

Background: Chikungunya is a viral infection caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) belonging to the Togaviridae family. The transmission of the virus is taking place through the bite of infected daytime biting female mosquitoes – primarily Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. There were many reports which highlighted the number of reported cases of Chikungunya has been increasing in India in recent years, especially since 2016-2017. 

Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients diagnosed with having Chikungunya. Cardiac profiles, routine laboratory investigations were carried out for analysing haematological and serum enzyme profiles. 

Result: Our results highlighted that the alterations of cardiac profiles, haematological and hepatic dysfunction are prevalent in Chikungunya infection, with SGPT rising significantly more than SGOT. Hepatic Enzymes levels appear to have a directly proportional correlation with severity of infections. 

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that cardiac profiles, haematological and hepatic enzymes levels should be explored as routine laboratory markers for assessing the severity of Chikungunya infection, as they will help in employing an appropriate patient therapy, and thus optimise the use of available resources.