Mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional study at IGIMS, Patna

Abstract

Introduction: During the second wave of COVID-19, the incidence of mucormycosis has increased more rapidly. The most common causes attributed to the rise of mucormycosis in COVID-19 are uncontrolled diabetes, the excessive use of corticosteroids, and long-term stays in the intensive care unit, organ or bone marrow transplantation, etc. Objective: To determine the sociodemographic and associated risk factors, pattern of disease, treatment of mucormycosis and outcome of individual at time of discharge and after three months and six months of follow-up. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included all treated mucormycosis cases with prior COVID-19 infection. Data collected from medical records using purposive sampling. Survivors followed up at 3 and 6 months after discharge. Results: In our study, we analyzed 161 mucormycosis cases identified through positive RTPCR/Rapid Antigen reports. Among them, 72% were males and 28% were females. Diabetes mellitus was present in 71.4% and hypertension in 29.8% of patients. The case-fatality rate was 6.8% at discharge, increasing to 18.6% after 3 months and 28% after 6 months of follow-up. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 15. This analysis helped us draw meaningful conclusions from the data, highlighting the impact of comorbidities and time on mucormycosis outcomes. Conclusion: Post-COVID mucormycosis in India was primarily observed in patients with uncontrolled diabetes, immunodeficiency due to other comorbidities, and dysfunctional immune systems.