All about black fungus

Black fungus or mucormycosis is a fungal infection which is triggered by coronavirus.

It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in nose and mucus of healthy people👤 {Dr.Nair }

People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment.

It is detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from COVID-19.

The following conditions in COVID-19 patients increase the risk of mucormycosis:

(I) Uncontrolled Diabetes
(II) Weakening of immune system d/t use of steroids. (III) Prolonged ICU. (IV) Co- morbidities/post- organ transplant/ cancer

SYMPTOMS:

• 

*Sinusitis — nasal blockage or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody);
* Local pain on the cheek bone, one-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling;
* Blackish discoloration over bridge of nose/palate;
* Loosening of teeth, jaw involvement;
* Blurred or double vision with pain;
* Thrombosis, necrosis, skin lesion;
* Chest pain, pleural effusion, worsening of respiratory.

These all symptoms should not be ignored or neglected..!!!

Do’s

•Control hyperglycemia
•Monitor blood glucose level post-COVID-19 discharge and also in diabetics
•Use steroid judiciously
•Use clean, sterile water for humidifiers during oxygen therapy
•Use antibiotics/antifungals judiciously.

Don’ts

•Do not miss warning signs and symptoms
•Do not consider all the cases with blocked nose as cases of bacterial sinusitis, particularly in the context of immunosuppression and/or COVID-19 patients on immunomodulators
•Do not hesitate to seek aggressive investigations, as appropriate (KOH staining & microscopy, culture, MALDITOF), for detecting fungal etiology
•Do not lose crucial time to initiate treatment for mucormycosis
•After recovering from coronavirus, one should closely monitor and should not miss any warning signs and symptoms mentioned above, as the fungal infection is found to emerge even weeks or months after recovery.

So don’t panic and stay safe 😊❣️just take the precautions and follow all the safety measures….

Stay healthy and stay safe…!!!💫❤️