title: Neurological manifestations of Chikungunya and Zika infections.
abstract: The epidemics of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) infections have been considered the most important epidemiological occurrences in the Americas. The clinical picture of CHIKV infection is characterized by high fever, exanthema, myalgia, headaches, and arthralgia. Besides the typical clinical picture of CHIKV, atypical manifestations of neurological complications have been reported: meningo-encephalitis, meningoencephalo-myeloradiculitis, myeloradiculitis, myelitis, myeloneuropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome and others. The diagnosis is based on clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory criteria. The most common symptoms of ZIKV infection are skin rash (mostly maculopapular), fever, arthralgia, myalgia, headache, and conjunctivitis. Some epidemics that have recently occurred in French Polynesia and Brazil, reported the most severe conditions, with involvement of the nervous system (Guillain-Barré syndrome, transverse myelitis, microcephaly and meningitis). The treatment for ZIKV and CHIKV infections are symptomatic and the management for neurological complications depends on the type of affliction. Intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, and corticosteroid pulse therapy are options.
authors.affiliation: Hospital dos Servidores do Estado, Serviço de Neurologia, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Talys J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Hospital dos Servidores do Estado, Serviço de Neurologia, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Doenças Neuroinfecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Doenças Infecciosas Evandro Chagas/ Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcus Tulius T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Hospital dos Servidores do Estado, Serviço de Neurologia, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cristiane N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014943:Global Health; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology