A Clinico-Demographic Study of Mucormycosis Cases Admitted in a Tertiary Care Government Hospital in Western Maharashtra.

Background: Mucormycosis, caused by filamentous fungi, is a rare but potentially fatal fungal infection associated with high morbidity and mortality. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to this infection, with an increasing number of cases worldwide. To study the clinico-demographic characteristics and their association with outcomes in mucormycosis cases. A tertiary care government hospital in Western Maharashtra. A Descriptive Cross-Sectional study.

Methodology: The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital analyzing information from all cases of mucormycosis admitted between January 2021 and December 2022. Data were collected from the medical record section encompassing demographic details, clinical features, treatment, and outcome. Proportion, standard deviation, Chi-square test were used to analyze data by using Microsoft Excel.

Results: Demographic analysis revealed a predominance of males 66.67%, and rural residents 73.53% among the mucormycosis cases. Co-morbidities were prevalent in 71.57% cases. The most common clinical presentation was rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (91.67%). Cortico-steroid use was seen in 58.82% cases. Among 270 cases, the case fatality rate was 24.45%. Older age, co-morbidities, COVID-19 status, delayed diagnosis, and delay in treatment were significantly associated with mortality.

Conclusions: Demographic, clinical, and treatment-related factors influence mucormycosis outcome. Early diagnosis, aggressive treatment, and management of co-morbidities can mitigate morbidity and mortality associated with mucormycosis.