Epidemiology, clinical presentation and management of COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis: A single center experience from Pune, Western India.

The second COVID-19 wave in India, triggered by the Delta variant,has been associated with an unprecedented increase in cases of COVID-19 associated Mucormycosis(CAM), mainly Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis(ROCM).The primary reason appears to be an unusual alignment of multiple risk factors in patients like prevalence of hypoxia, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, indiscriminate use of steroids, high iron levels and immune dysfunction.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Noble hospital and Research Centre (NHRC), Pune, Western India between 1^st April 2020 and 1^st August 2021 to identify patients admitted with CAM. The primary endpoint was incidence of all cause mortality due to CAM. Secondary outcomes studied were need for mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit(ICU) admission. Baseline and time dependent risk factors significantly associated with death due to CAM were identified by Relative risk estimation.