Acute abdomen as atypical manifestation of chikungunya

INTRODUCTION: Chikungunya fever is an arbovirus caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV). It is one of the main differential diagnoses of dengue, due to characteristic fever and arthralgia. CASE REPORT: An 8-year-old Black male patient had a history of abdominal pain associated with daily fever, odynophagia and asthenia. It evolved over the days with myalgia and polyarthralgia. He was then admitted for investigation. Maintained clinical worsening with persistent fever and increased abdominal pain. After 8 days of hospitalization showed signs of intestinal perforation and septic shock. After surgery and stabilization, he underwent serology and confirmed CHIKV infection by Elisa. DISCUSSION: Most individuals infected with the chikungunya virus develop symptomatic infection (70%). High values compared to other arboviruses. The signs and symptoms are clinically similar to those of dengue fever - acute onset fever, arthralgia and myalgia, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. Some cases may develop atypically, characterized by the appearance of signs of severity or by presenting less frequent clinical manifestations, such as those in this case. The frequency of severe frames is 0.3%. CONCLUSION: Less common manifestations may occur, and pediatricians should be alert and consider CHIKV infection as a differential diagnosis.