Evaluation of Hepatic Enzyme Levels and Haematological Profiles in Chikungunya Patients- An Institutional Study

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.

The aim and objective of the present study was to understand the relationship between the severity of Chikungunya infection and its impact on levels hepatic enzymes and haematological profiles of individuals.

Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients diagnosed with having Chikungunya. Routine laboratory investigations were carried out for analysing haematological assays like platelets, hematocrit count, haemoglobin count, total leukocyte count. and serum enzyme profiles includes Liver Function Test.

Result: Our results highlighted that the alterations of haematological and hepatic dysfunction are prevalent in Chikungunya infection, where haematological indices were significantly different between the control and patient group. RBC count, Hb, and WBC count were significantly lower in the patients than in the healthy control group. Liver enzymes like 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 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.