A Comparative Analysis of Chikungunya in Kidney Transplant Recipients Compared With the General Population: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Cohort Study From India

Objectives: Chikungunya is an arboviral illness, with patients presenting with fever, arthralgias, and myalgias. Outbreaks have occurred in tropical regions, and the virus is now endemic to many tropics, including South Asia, with India contributing a large part of the global burden. The presentation and long-term effects on transplant recipients are largely unknown. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective analytical study, we compared chikungunya infection in 44 kidney transplant recipients from multiple centers in India and 34 patients from the general population. Data were collected from medical records and patient recall. Results: Differences in presentation were remarkable between the 2 groups, with significantly lower incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms on presen-tation in transplant recipients compared with the general population. The incidence of acute graft dysfunction was 17.08% in transplant recipients, with return to baseline at the end of 1 month. Acute symptomatology resolved in transplant recipients within 1 month, and insignificant chronic symptoms were reported after 3 months. Conclusions: Chikungunya in kidney transplant recipients is markedly different from that of the general population, with significantly lower incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms such as arthralgias. The infection caused acute graft dysfunction, but no long-term sequelae were shown at the end of 1 year.