Chikungunya versus Dengue: How their symptoms differ

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700, 000 deaths annually.

In India itself, there are six types of vector-borne disease including malaria, dengue and chikungunya.

Vector-borne illness are infections that are transmitted from arthropod species, such as mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies, and blackflies, to humans through a bite, which in turn cause symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, rashes and more. Given that most of the symptoms associated with different vector-borne illnesses are the same, there can be great confusion when it comes to identifying the source of your health issues.

That said, let us find out the difference between two of the most common mosquito-borne infections - chikungunya and dengue.

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Chikungunya fever is an infection spread by mosquitoes. The term 'chikungunya' means 'bend you up' or 'stooped walk', according to the Mayo Clinic, which indicates how the illness can cause great distress in your joints and muscles. There is no cure for the illness, however the symptoms such as sudden high fever, headache, fatigue, rash, nausea and red eyes, can be managed and treated.

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Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The primary source of the infection are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and, to a lesser extent, Ae. albopictus. Mild dengue fever causes a high fever and flu-like symptoms, whereas a severe form of dengue fever can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.

Both chikungunya and dengue can lead to symptoms such as a high fever, a headache, joint pain, muscle ache, rash, fatigue, nausea and pain in the area behind the eyes. However, there are certain symptoms that can help tell the two diseases apart. Mostly the difference lies in the level of severity between the two illnesses.

While chikungunya takes a severe toll on a person's joint and muscles, leading to pain, the more worrying stage of dengue can manifest in the form of low platelet count. Sometimes it can go as low as 10,000 platelets or lower per microliter of blood. In the case of chikungunya, the platelet count may drop slightly and can be characterized by the platelet count which is lower than 150,000 platelets per microliter of blood .

In addition, body pain in dengue patients is much more intense than in patients with chikungunya. On the contrary, joint pain is extreme in the case of chikungunya, mainly localized around hands and knees which may persist even after the patient is cured.

Furthermore, in some cases of dengue fever, the patient may experience bleeding especially in extreme cases of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.

When it comes to chikungunya, experts believe the lymph nodes are normal as compared to dengue fever. The latter causes the lymph nodes in the neck and groin to enlarge.

Occasionally the membranes that line the eyes may become inflamed (conjunctivitis) and lymph glands may become swollen (lymphadenopathy), according to NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders).

While in Chikungunya, rashes appear all across the face, palms, feet, limbs, in dengue patients, rashes are restricted to the limbs and face.

Another thing to note is the incubation period, which is the time between exposure to the virus and when the symptoms start appearing.

In the case of dengue, the incubation period is 5-7 days, which includes 3 phases: febrile, critical, and convalescent. Most people infected with chikungunya become symptomatic and the incubation period is typically 3–7 days (range, 1–12 days). While symptoms of dengue typically last 2–7 days, with chikungunya, people recover after 1-2 weeks.

To confirm your diagnosis and get a more accurate understanding of your illness, you can get yourself tested. Chikungunya is best diagnosed by doing a molecular test that looks for the RNA of the chikungunya virus and antibodies. Similarly, dengue is best diagnosed by doing a molecular test that searches for the RNA of the dengue virus and antibodies.