Varied presentation of post Covid mucormycosis in a tertiary care centre in Northern India

Abstract

: To study the cytomorphological presentation of post covid mucormycosis. A retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in Northern India for a period of six months, in patients with post covid mucormycosis. The study included 50 cases with post covid mucormycosis. Males with 28 cases (56.0%) were more commonly affected than females. Nose comprising of 36 cases (72.0%) was the most commonly affected area, with nasal cavity showing 24 cases (48.0%) being most common site within the nose. 36 cases (72.0%) were positive exclusively for Mucormycosis. 10.0% cases of mucor showed superadded bacterial infection. Candida was seen in 03 cases (6.0%) and aspergillosis in 02 cases (4.0%). There were 6.0% cases of mucormycosis with associated chronic osteomyelitis. All the patients had a history of steroid use throughout their coronavirus treatment. A rare but fatal fungal infection (mucormycosis) has a strong association with covid-19 infection, in active as well as recovered patients, particularly in those with co-morbid medical conditions and treated with high doses of corticosteroids.