[Clinical and epidemiological profile of chikungunya infection in hospital patients in 2015 in Mérida, MexicoPerfil clÍnico-epidemiológico da infecção por chikungunya em casos hospitalares atendidos em 2015 em Mérida, México].

Objectives: Describe the epidemiological profile and analyze clinical manifestations by age group in chikungunya patients treated in 2015 in a Mérida, Mexico general hospital.

Methods: An observational study describing chikungunya cases recorded by the Department of Epidemiological Surveillance from July to December 2015 and analyzing clinical manifestations by age group. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between signs and symptoms and hospital admission.

Results: A total of 830 diagnosed chikungunya cases were treated. Average age was 27.4 ± 17.05 years and the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.4. Most patients came from urban areas (n = 592, 87%) and, in particular, the capital city. Contact with the arthropod vector in the peridomiciliary area was reported in 723 (90%) cases. Muscular and joint impairments were more frequent in the older groups, while rash was more frequent in younger groups. Neurological and non-neurological manifestations of severity did not show greater prevalence in any one age group.

Conclusions: Chikungunya patients had primarily self-limited benign cases, while neurological manifestations such as lethargy, persistent vomiting, hemorrhage, photophobia, and intense headache were predictive of severity and their timely identification in children under 1 year of age was possible through close monitoring.