Cross-sectional study to describe the severity, bio-chemical associations, and final outcomes of COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis in a tertiary hospital of East India
This retrospective, hospital?based study included all in?patients of mucormycosis with ophthalmic manifestations at presentation admitted during June 1, 2021 to August 31, 2021. It aimed to evaluate the association between severity of infection, serum levels of HbA1c, ferritin, interleukin?6 (IL?6), C?reactive protein (CRP), and D?dimer levels at presentation and outcome.
Results:
There were altogether 47 eligible cases having a mean age of 48.8 ± 10.9 years with a malefemale ratio of 2.61; forty?two (89.4%) had pre?existing diabetes, and five (10.6%) had steroid?induced hyperglycemia. The mean HbA1c among diabetics was 9.7 ± 2.1. HbA1c and serum CRP showed an increase over subsequent stages, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.31). IL?6 values for all stages were similar (P = 0.97). Only serumferritin levels showed a statistically significant increase over stages (P = 0.04). IL?6 was significantly lower (P = 0.03) in patientswho survived, whereas CRP levels were significantly lower in patientswho had final visual acuity (VA) better than only perception of light (P = 0.03).