Chikungunya Vs Dengue: Understanding the difference between the two

Caused by mosquitoes dengue and chikungunya are two different conditions, explains an expert.

Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : August 21, 2018 7:28 PM IST

Any extremity of weather, though may make things uncomfortable for us, has its own advantages. Extreme cold or heat is not conducive to the growth of mosquitoes. But as the temperatures become moderate, mosquitoes start nesting in the corners of practically every house. Contaminated or standing water is their favourite breeding ground. Room coolers, plants, open drainage pipe etc, all become a favourable place for mosquitoes. And with this growing number of mosquitoes, comes the much-talked about diseases: Dengue and Chikungunya. Moreover, with no vaccine or medicine to prevent them and reports of hospitals packed with patients, the only key to prevention is awareness. Here Dr Dhrity Vats, Healthians, explains the difference between the two.

Both Chikungunya and Dengue are fevers caused by the same mosquito bite and show similar symptoms. Mostly both are treated as a case of mistaken identity until correlated with the laboratory findings. Both viral infections are spread by Aedes mosquito bite, having almost similar manifestations so; it becomes quite difficult to differentiate between the two fevers. Timely blood test to detect dengue and chikungunya is important to ward off further complications. This article will throw light on their differences and similarities in terms of symptoms, treatment and prevention of both.

Symptoms of Chikungunya

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Those bitten by the infected mosquito generally show symptoms within 2-12 days, which is also called the incubation period. Mosquitoes causing Chikungunya generally bite during the day.

Symptoms include:

High-grade fever more than 102. Fever occurs as the body raises its temperature in an attempt to kill the infectious agent
Severe joint pains in feet, ankle, wrists and hands with mild swelling as the virus destroys cells in the muscles and joints
Severe back pain
Headache with photophobia
Muscle pain with fatigue
Skin maculopopular rash that appears in the first 48 hours of symptoms generally on the trunk, hands and feet.
Sore throat
Eye pain with conjunctivitis
Non-fatal but can lead to body pains for several months and years.
To investigate an ELISA assay can be used to measure the levels of immunoglobin to identify the chikungunya virus. Results are sent within 2-3 days.

Symptoms of Dengue

This viral disease is transmitted to human bodies through the bite of female Aedes mosquitoes and from an infected human to another, in cases of blood transfusion. The dengue causing mosquitoes usually bite during the night. Symptoms usually begin to show 4-6 days after infection and last for up to 10 days and may include:

Sudden high fever without any prior underlying infection. Fever can go as high as 103-104. Fever may come down rapidly within 2 to 4 days, with severe sweating
Severe headache
Pain behind the eye and increases with eye movement
Nausea
Vomiting
Fatigue with feeling of prostration
Rash which generally appears within 48 hours mainly on face and limbs
Mild bleeding either from the nose or from gums
Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck and groin
Decreased heart rate, also known as tachycardia
Low blood pressure
Breathing difficulty
Can be fatal if the symptoms are not controlled by regular monitoring
The platelet count is investigated regularly to see the level of damage
To investigate ELISA test is performed for detection of antibodies to dengue virus

Differentiating between Chikungunya and Dengue

Symptom	Chikungunya	Dengue
Time period	The symptoms take weeks or months to fade away	Symptoms reduces within 3-4 weeks of medication and rest
Initial Symptom	Fever, joint and muscle pain, eye infection, rashes	Fever, pain in joints, eye pain, rashes
Skin rash	Rashes on arms and trunk	Rashes on face and arms
Joint pain	Pain in wrist, hands, feet and legs	Pain in shoulders, knees
Recovery	Possible with joint pains as an impact	Can be fatal at times
Recovery	Possible with joint pains as an impact	Can be fatal at times

Image source: Shutterstock

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