Abstract: Objective This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of adult patients with chikungunya fever in Foshan, to provide a scientific basis for the early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this disease. Method A total of 213 hospitalized confirmed chikungunya fever patients in July 2025 were investigated and analyzed. By collecting epidemiological data, clinical manifestations, and laboratory test results of these patients, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of their clinical characteristics. Result Among the 213 patients, the median age was 53 years, and males accounted for 53.5% (114/213). The initial symptoms included fever (32 cases, 15.0%), arthralgia (74 cases, 34.7%), and rash (18 cases, 8.5%). During the disease course, the incidences of clinical manifestations were as follows: arthralgia (90.1%), fever (83.1%), rash (70.0%), facial flushing (28.8%), fatigue (28.4%), chills (25.2%), headache (23.5%), pharyngeal (21.3%), pectoral erythema (16.7%), conjunctival congestion (16.5%), superficial lymphadenopathy (14.2%), anorexia (13.7%), and others. Leukopenia, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia were observed in 17.0% (34/200), 65.0% (130/200), and 4.0% (8/200) of patients, respectively. The mean Ct value of chikungunya virus nucleic acid at admission was 28.90±6.05, and that for patients aged ≥75 years was 25.82±1.49. Conclusion The main clinical manifestations of patients with chikungunya fever in this study included arthralgia, fever, and rash. Particular attention should be paid to the early identification and diagnosis of patients presenting with arthralgia or rash as the sole initial symptom. Elderly patients showed lower viral Ct values in their serum, which suggests that the elderly population may have a diminished capacity for viral clearance.

Key words: Chikungunya virus, Chikungunya fever, Adult, Clinical characteristics