Mumbai: Doctors worried about pill-popping epidemic

Patients who pop painkillers under suspicion that they have dengue and chikungunya may be doing themselves more harm than good, say docs who believe the real culprit may be a new virus altogether

Representation pic/Thickstock

Worried you have chikungunya or dengue even though the tests have come back negative? Stop popping pills and just take a chill pill. Doctors have noticed a sudden uptick in cases that mimic the symptoms of chikungunya and dengue but seem to be caused by another virus altogether. In such cases, rather than popping painkillers to beat the joint pain, doctors recommend that patients take ample rest and stay hydrated for better chances of recovery.

Don't panic
Doctors are concerned that people are popping pills unnecessarily while panicking about their health, but this could end up doing more harm than good. Dr Ketan Vagolkar, Professor of Surgery at DY Patil Medical College told this reporter that in the past month, they have observed several cases that are initially suspected to be dengue or chikungunya but the tests come back negative, indicating that some other virus is at play.

Painkillers won't help
"About 20% of the cases we have got recently follow this trend," he said. However, further research is required to figure out which virus in particular is causing these symptoms. Dr Vagolkar added, "The symptoms are peculiar. The disease starts with one or two episodes of fever, which may be high grade. There may be accompanying rash over the body in a few cases. Subsequently, the patient develops severe arthritic pain in the ankles. The pain doesn't respond so well to painkillers or any local treatment. But while this may resemble dengue or chikungunya, further research is necessary to ascertain the exact cause of such newly evolving cases."

Unusual cases
Dr Om Shrivastav, Mumbai-based consultant on infectious diseases, said he sees around seven to eight such cases per week on an average. "I think it is fair to say that this is not a classical presentation of chikungunya. We used to have cases in which the infection would last for 10-14 days but, now, the pain lasts for many weeks. This suggests there may be another variant of a virus at play. There is a need to study the cases to identify the virus."

He added that it may be a virus variant that overlaps the symptoms of dengue and chikunkunya viruses – the Flavi or Filo virus. Or, it could even be more than one virus. However, he also agreed that flu viruses like the Rhino, Adeno or Entero viruses might also be the culprit, especially if the tests come back negative for dengue and chikungunya.

A senior microbiologist from a well-known diagnostic centre added, "We have seen several such cases that overlap dengue and chikungunya this season. The serological or molecular tests help us to diagnose if it is either of the diseases. However, we merely test the samples; it is the treating doctors who are in the best position to know the symptoms. We do not get any form of feedback either from patients or doctors to help us know if there are any new findings that can help us in our research and development."

20%
Cases that mimic dengue and chikungunya

Don't rush to the lab
"When the fever does not subside within five days, doctors advise blood tests. The disease takes time to manifest and if laboratory blood tests are done too early, they will usually give inaccurate findings. But these days, there is a trend of people rushing to the lab to get a diagnosis immediately. There needs to be more discussion and coordination between doctors and labs to resolve this," said a senior official from National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!