Mucormycosis: Another Hidden Deadliest Infection within Covid 19

Introduction

India is suffering from one of the most deadliest and life taking virus, Covid 19, which had almost taken lives of 40 Lakh people all around the world with overall 17Cr cases. We have been in this problem since last 2 years, from December 2019. But now we are suffering from a new fungal disease, Mucormycosis.

With the second wave of Coronavirus, cases of mucormycosis, a life threatening infection have been reported to all Covid 19 patients. They are on its urge to spread among various cities of Gujarat, Delhi, Odisha and Southern part of India. In Gujarat, several Covid 19 patients became blind due to this fungal infection.

Mucormycosis: An Introduction

Mucormycosis, a fungal infection which is generally caused by attack of fungus, Mucorales. It’s also termed as Zygomycosis. Mucormycosis is termed to be deadly and life threatening infection caused to diabetic and immunodeficiect patients. The fungus attacks in and around the areas of blood vessels because it remains weak in these individuals. It’s visualised that Zygomycosis are caused by metatodes or insects carrying pathogens, that’s why is excluded from it, in modern fungal infections.

The condition of being trapped in this infection is referred to have Black Fungus. Mucormycosis, is a very rare and hard to understand infection because its difficult to note the main reason of infection. In 2015, an American Oncology Centre revealed that almost 0.002% patients, normally, suffers from this infection. But if it catches someone, it ruins his/her whole blood vessels and immunosystem.

Types of Mucormycosis

It is very difficult to note that the main cause of infection, however, is distinguished within itself, it’s types and varieties:

1. Rhinocerebal Mucormycosis, commonly spreads in area of sinus and brain. It majorly is caused in diabetic patients and one with kidney problems.

2. Pulmonary Mucormycosis is most common in patients with lungs cancer and individuals who got their cell transplantation done. It majorly attacks lungs.

3. Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis happens in younger aged children, when they are given high dose of medicines which lowers the capability of body to fight germs and viruses.

4. Disseminated Mucormycosis occurs through the spread of fungal infection from blood vessels to parts of body. This is most common infection of mucormycosis that happens and majorly affects Heart, Skin, and Brain Vessels.

It’s said to be the most common infection that happens to any individual. The growth rate of this infection is at an average of 0.006% to overall population of the world.

But we need to take precautions and prevention because these sort of infections can occur anytime and attack any of our body parts.

Signs and Symptoms to Identify Mucormycosis

They frequently affects the brain or lungs, it also infects the other parts of body like skin, tracts, organ system. In rare cases maxillary sinus also gets affected badly. It can cause deaths as well. However we have some signs and symptoms which can blow a horn to us and intimate about this infection.

• The formation of blood clots due to blood loss from blood vessels is a sign that the blood vessel have been attacked by this fungal infection.
• The infection in brain can lead to headaches near eyes, fever, nasal congestion. It may swallow the parts of eyes and will look like pus present there.
• If tissues or skin gets infected by this fungus, vomiting, abdominal pain and cough of blood makes a major sign and horn to contact doctors as soon as possible.

Their are various other symptoms for different types of Mucormycosis:

1. Rhinocerebal Mucormycosis

• Headaches
• Nasal congestion
• One side of face gets swollen
• Fever

2. Pulmonary Mucormycosis

• Fever
• Cough of blood
• Chest and abdominal pain
• Breathing issues

3. Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis

• Nasal congestion
• Vomiting
• Bleeding while excretion
• Gas problems

4. Disseminated Mucormycosis

• Those who are already patients or is suffering from other problems gets infected to this fungal infection, where it is difficult to say what’s the main reason for that.

Mucormycosis and Covid 19

Doctors, now, are believing that due to the dose of steroids and heavy dose of medicines, mucormycosis have been triggered on and is affecting the Covid 19 patients badly. Steroids which are given to patients suffering from breathing issues, though stabilises the lungs issues but it lowers the immunity of an individual. It breaks the whole immune system and lowers the ability to fight to germs.

It pushes the sugar level both in diabetic and non diabetic patients. It’s said that these may be the reasons of triggering the infection of this fungal infection. Dr. Akshay Nair, eye surgeon specialist in Mumbai, said that “diabetes lowers the immune system of body to fight, exacerbating the Coronavirus, after which steroids acts as a fuel to stop Covid 19 viruses”.

• Doctors are in shock due to heavy increase in rate of this fungal infection during second wave of Covid as compared to last year. On Monday, May 10 2021, Odisha reposted its 1st case of mucormycosis. Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have also reposted their cases.
• On Wednesday, BMC, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation informed that 111 Covid 19 patients are suffering from this life threatening fungal infection. Municipal Commissioner, Suresh Kumar Kakani informed that 38 patients of mucormycosis are being treated at Nair Hospital, 34 treated at KEM Hospital, 32 patients being treated at Sion Hospital and 7 at Cooper Hospital in Mumbai.
• Within 24 hrs, municipality at Jaipur reported 14 cases with black fungal infection, 2 from Ranchi, 4 from Rajasthan and 5 from U.P. Many of them have lost their lives and almost 34% have lost their eyesight as well. Madhya Pradesh have reported 13 cases of blank fungus of which 2 have been reported dead. Gujarat had over 100 infected patients, some of them lost their eye sights as well.

Medical Experts have said that this is not a new problem, but mucormycosis, in Covid 19 patients which have been increased due to surplus use of steroids.

Conclusion

Mucormycosis, a life taking and deadly fungal infection have been reported since years but is considered to be of very less growth rate. India is suffering from Coronavirus spread which had taken several lives into its mouth and had taken all world under its hands. Increase in fungal infection growth have been reported since Monday, 10th May 2021. Almost all the northern states and southern states of India have reported these cases and vigorous growth of this infection.

We need to take precautions and restrict the use of steroids and heavy dose of medicines, which though brings us relief from Coronavirus but lowers our immunity.

Also Read: Covid 19 Vaccine, Symptoms and Affects.

Author: Nikhil Nivedan Vatsa.