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Mucormycosis - Symptoms & Treatment

  • Vijayarani Sivakumar

    • Published On - May 20, 2021

    Symptoms of Mucormycosis

    The symptoms of mucormycosis depend on where in the body the fungus is growing.

    Symptoms of rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) mucormycosis include:

    • One-sided facial swelling
    • Headache
    • Nasal or sinus congestion
    • Black lesions on nasal bridge or upper inside of mouth that quickly become more severe
    • Fever

    Symptoms of pulmonary (lung) mucormycosis include:

    • Fever
    • Cough
    • Chest pain
    • Shortness of breath

    Cutaneous (skin) mucormycosis can look like blisters or ulcers, and the infected area may turn black. Other symptoms include pain, warmth, excessive redness, or swelling around a wound.

    Symptoms of gastrointestinal mucormycosis include:

    • Abdominal pain
    • Nausea and vomiting
    • Gastrointestinal bleeding

    Disseminated mucormycosis typically occurs in people who are already sick from other medical conditions, so it can be difficult to know which symptoms are related to mucormycosis. Patients with disseminated infection in the brain can develop mental status changes or coma.

    Also known as ‘black fungus’ or ‘mucormycosis’, it is a rare kind of fungal infection affecting 1 in 10,00,000 people, but with an overall mortality rate of 50 per cent. The disease is often characterized by hyphae growing in and around blood vessels and can be potentially life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromized individuals.

     

    “What is more worrying is that the use of steroids for treating certain cases of COVID-19 would shoot up sugar levels; this coupled with lack of physical activity puts diabetic people at a higher risk of catching the black fungal infection,” the doctor warns.

    According to doctors, steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs due to COVID-19 and appear to help curb some of the damage that can happen when the body’s immune system fights against the virus. But, they also reduce immunity and push up blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetic COVID-19 patients.

    “For diabetes patients, this is life-threatening. A person affected with mucormycosis may need early detection and powerful diagnosis for treatment, which may, in turn, affect other organs such as the kidneys. Prevention is extremely crucial,” Doctors say.




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