Clinical, Demographic, and Oral Presentations of COVID-19Associated Mucormycosis from a Tertiary Care Hospital in India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

The black fungus, mucormycosis, is on the list of lethal complications reported in recent times in COVID patients. This cross-sectional study included all cases of post-COVID-19 mucormycosis. Patients' demographics, clinical presentations, and general health information were collected using a pre-designed form. The study included 171 participants with the mean (SD) age as 49 (10) years with the sex distribution as 71% (122/171) male and 29% (49/122) females. About half of the admitted patients (47%) were known cases of Diabetes Mellitus type II with a median (IQR) Glycosylated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) of 9.1% (7-11.1%). Only 28% (48/171) had received the first COVID vaccination, and 2.9% (5/171) were fully vaccinated with two doses. During COVID-19, 76% (130/171) required hospitalisation for a mean (SD) stay of 11 (6.4) days. Eighty percent of the patients (136/171) received steroids during therapy, while 87% (150/171) and 51% (88/171) received antibiotics and antivirals, respectively. Oxygen was administered to 71% of hospitalised patients (120/171), with 39.1% (47/120) receiving it for more than 7days. About the development of the first symptoms of mucormycosis (headache, nasal congestion, black crusts in the nose, facial pain, swelling in cheeks and eyes, and loss of vision) after being diagnosed with COVID-19, 16% (28/171) reported it within 7days, 75% (127/171) between 8 and 30th days and 9% (16/171) after a month. On examination, 20% of mucor patients had hard palate findings, eschars, fistulas, and perforations, 38% had periodontal abscesses, and 5% reported tenderness to percussion. Generally, oral manifestations involved the palate and included varying degrees of mucosal discolouration, swelling, ulcers, superficial necrotic areas, and bone exposure and necrosis with dark eschars.