Chennai: City hospitals are reporting a spike in patients complaining of high fever, body aches, and swollen joints, doctors said on Saturday. Joint pain, often debilitating, affects wrists, ankles, fingers, knees, ankle joints, and toes, and persists for weeks or months. Most people experience headaches, muscle pain, rashes, peeling of skin on palms, and fatigue.Out patient departments remain crowded in most hospitals. “Patients come with swollen hands and legs and complain of difficulty in movement. From holding coffee mugs to walking to the toilet, everything becomes painful,” said infectious diseases expert Dr Subramanian Swaminathan of Gleneagles Hospital. “We prescribe medicines to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation. In some cases, people require a small dose of steroids. For patients in severe pain, we also prescribe an anti-malarial drug called hydroxychloroquine,” he said.Infectious diseases expert Dr V Ramasubramanian from Apollo Hospital said, “It’s viral fever season. It could be one of the mutations or a virus such as chikungunya.” The trend coincides with an unusual spike in respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and coronavirus detections, he added. “These are not Covid-19 strains,” he said. Coronavirus refers to a large family of viruses that commonly cause respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.Doctors advise rest for people in the acute phase of the disease and allow a return to work with painkillers to ease symptoms. Some patients need continued monitoring for prolonged arthritis — joint pain, stiffness, or swelling — that lasts beyond the acute phase for more than two weeks. Elderly people, pregnant women, and people with comorbid conditions may require admission, but morbidity continues to remain low, doctors said. “We also tell people not to take medicines without a prescription because some medicines can be contraindicated,” he added.
