Análise da incapacidade funcional de membros superiores e qualidade de vida em pessoas com Chikungunya na fase crônica

Abstract

Chikungunya is an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and is the second most prevalent pathogen related to acute febrile illnesses in Latin America. Among the three possible phases of the disease (acute, subacute and chronic), the chronic phase occurs when symptoms persist for more than 90 days. During this period, many individuals may present functional deficits in the upper limbs, compromising daily activities and affecting quality of life. The aim of this study is to analyze upper limb functional disability based on components related to quality of life in people with chikungunya in the chronic phase. This is a cross-sectional observational study, with a quantitative approach, carried out in the municipality of Santa Cruz-RN, with 74 participants who had chronic chikungunya sequelae. Data collection took place between April and November 2023. The volunteers who met the inclusion criteria and signed the informed consent form were assessed using three instruments: a sociodemographic and health status questionnaire, developed by the study's researchers; the Short Form-36 (SF-36), to measure components related to quality of life; and the Disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) instrument, with the aim of analyzing upper limb functional disability. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), version 23. The descriptive analysis used measures of central tendency and dispersion for continuous variables, and absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables. In addition, a multiple linear regression analysis was carried out with the aim of developing a model to verify which components related to quality of life explain upper limb disability in people with chikungunya in the chronic phase, with a significance level of 5%. Pain (β = - 0.410), functional capacity (β = - 0.274) and vitality (β = - 0.233) were significant predictors of upper limb functional disability in patients with chronic chikungunya. The estimated multiple linear regression model showed an R2 of 0.523, with satisfactory adjustment measures, indicating no multicollinearity. Thus, the results show that understanding upper limb functional disability based on the influence of aspects related to quality of life such as pain, functional capacity and vitality can help formulate specific health care strategies for the population with chikungunya in the chronic phase.