Mucormycosis is also known as black fungus and is a fungal infection that is increasingly becoming common among the COVID-19 patients. The infection progresses rapidly but is treatable if it is discovered and detected early. It is due to the coronavirus pandemic that the number of people getting infected with mucormycosis has gone up.
How does it start? What are its symptoms
The infection is usually found in the nose , the sinuses and sometimes the brain. Some of its symptoms include pain and redness in and around the eyes/nose, headache, blood vomits, cough, shortness or breathe, fever or sometimes altered mental status. This could easily confused with COVID-19 but proper tests would help to rule out the actual infection. People who have had a prolonged stay in the ICU could also be prone to the fungal infection. It mainly affects people who have a very low immunity levels and have other health problems. The infection reduces the ability of the body to fight the environmental pathogens. The treatment of the infection depends on which organs are involved and can also require aggressive debridement. Early detection is the key to save the patients life.
Precautions
1. Closely monitor blood glucose levels, in people who have diabetes and people who have COVID-19.
2. Consult before usage of steroids.
3. Use clean water for humidifiers for oxygen therapy.
4. Be careful and consult before taking or administering anti-biotics.
5. Get yourself immediately checked if you fund any of the above symptoms.
6. Get aggressive investigations done for yourself to rule out any fungal infection.
7. Get yourself checked as soon as possible before it could be deemed as untreatable.
8. Keep a check on your immunity levels and make sure you lead a healthy life.
9. Doctors have warned that steroids should not be taken without the advice of a medical practitioner. The timing and the duration of the steroids is very crucial and can be determined only by a medical practitioner.
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