Coronavirus Disease-19-associated Mucormycosis: A Single-center Observational Study of 69 Patients.

Background and objectives: We studied the clinical presentation, risk factors, complications, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis (CAM).

Materials and methods: A retrospective study was done on 69 COVID-19 patients with microbiologically proven mucormycosis admitted over a period of seven months from March 2021 to September 2021.

Results: All 69 mucormycosis patients (46 males, 23 females) had reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 infection. Their mean age was 52.8 years, with mucormycosis developing in 51 patients (73.9%) within 30 days of COVID-19 infection; 7 (10.1%) were positive on admission. Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) was the most common (40.3%), followed by rhino-orbital (37.3%) and sinonasal (22.4%). Diabetes mellitus was present in 98.6% of patients. Common symptoms of mucormycosis were facial pain, headache, facial swelling, and vision loss. During COVID-19, 88.4 and 52.5% received immunosuppressive treatment and zinc sulfate, respectively; 34.7% needed intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The mortality rate was 26.1%. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the presence of chronic kidney disease, leukocytosis, ophthalmoplegia, oral/palate ulceration, current need for invasive ventilation, and past duration of oxygen therapy and zinc supplementation were significantly associated with mortality. Patients with current COVID-19 infection had severe disease with increased need for intensive care (57.1 vs 14.5%) and higher mortality (57.1 vs 22.6%) compared to mucormycosis patients with previous COVID-19 infection.

Interpretation and conclusion: Rhino-orbital-cerebral, rhino-orbital, and sinonasal were the most common presentations in cases of mucormycosis, with a mortality rate of 26.1%. COVID-19 coinfection predisposes patients with mucormycosis to severe disease with higher mortality.