Epidemiological and Demographic Study of Patients with Mucormycosis and COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with many bacterial and fungal diseases. Aspergillus and Candida have been reported as major pathogens resulting to comorbid infections in COVID-19 patients. Objective: Recent studies have shown a considerable burden of cases affected by mucormycosis after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection worldwide, and some underlying factors may contribute to this condition. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and demographic characteristics of mucormycosis patients after COVID-19 infection in the Ahvaz province of Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical epidemiological study was conducted on patients who developed mucormycosis following COVID-19 for a 6-month period in 2021. A checklist based on symptoms and possible risk factors was used to collect patient information. Results: The results showed that conjunctivitis, ophthalmalgia, facial swelling, feeling of pain or pressure in the face, and sinusitis were the most common clinical manifestations of patients with mucormycosis following COVID-19. Additionally, there was a significant association between corticosteroid and prophylactic antibiotic use, pain or pressure in the face, and ophthalmalgia with the outcome variables including alive or dead (p-values = 0.002, 0.011, 0.034, and 0.004, respectively). No statistically significant difference was found between the ages of the two groups (p-value = 0.495). Conclusion: The study findings revealed that the most common risk factors for mortality include diabetes, immune system defects, and use of prophylactic antibiotics or corticosteroids.