Article Text
Abstract
Chikungunya (CHIK) viral fever is a self-limiting illness that presents with severe debilitating arthralgia, myalgia, fever and rash. Neurological complications are rare. We present a case of a 36-year-old woman who presented with acute onset progressive difficulty swallowing and left arm weakness. She was diagnosed with CHIK viral fever 4 weeks prior to admission. After investigations, she was diagnosed with a pharyngeal–cervical–brachial variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome. In hospital, she required ventilator support. Her condition improved after five sessions of intravenous immunoglobulin with almost complete resolution within 6 months of symptom onset. With frequent CHIK outbreaks, the neurological complications are increasingly seen in the emergency department. The knowledge of these associations will result in early diagnosis and treatment.
- peripheral nerve disease
- neurology
- clinical neurophysiology
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Footnotes
Contributors The case was initially seen by SH and was discussed with SK who gave the design for the case report. SH reviewed the literature and wrote the initial and revised draft. SK reviewed it and advised suggestions and corrections, which were performed by SH. Both SH and SK participated in case writing.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.