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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : June 9, 2021 9:49 AM IST
The most common place where black fungus can affect is face.
In the second wave of COVID-19 in India, mucormycosis or commonly known as black fungus has been one of the most reported post COVID complications. It is a rare but serious fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. Typically, Mucormycosis is not contagious and people do not develop symptoms on contact with an infected person. However, people undergoing treatment for organ transplant, heart diseases, cancer, COVID-19, health conditions that severely weaken the immune system are at a greater risk of getting this infection. In view of the rise in Mucormycosis cases among COVID-19 patients, the disease has been declared as an epidemic by several states in the country. Black fungus can affect multiples parts and organs of the body including the brain. What will happen if black fungus attacks the brain? Dr PN Renjen, Stroke Neurologist, Institutes of Neurosciences, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, answers this question and more here. Keep reading -
Mucormycosis is affecting COVID-19 patients more due to prolonged administration of steroids and subsequent immunocompromised state of health. It is reported more in patients who have other comorbidities like diabetes, renal failure, cancer or who have undergone kidney/liver transplant and in patients who have been administered steroids for a long time.
Generally, mucormycosis infection spread through bloodstream to affect another part of the body. When mucormycosis affects organ and tissues of the body, it causes nerve damage leading to blood clots. When these blood clots spread to another part of the body, they cause damage to other parts. Similarly, when these clots spread to the brain, they cause tumours manifested with stroke.
The most common place where black fungus can affect is face. It enters the body through nostrils then to sinuses and can extend from there to eyes and brain. Other forms of the disease may infect lungs, stomach and intestines, and skin. It generally spreads through breathing in infected spores, eating contaminated food or getting spores of it on an open wound.
Symptoms of this black fungus infection depends on the part of the body which is affected. It commonly affects the sinuses and brain. The symptoms then can be:
Some of the patients in which black fungus is reported in the brain tissue also had symptoms like:
Neurological Problems
Infection with fungi causes severe complications in patients with low immunity and the involvement of Central Nervous System leads to fatal consequences. Some of the neurological problems are listed below.
Educating patients about the symptoms is crucial as it will help in early detection of the disease.
By considering the patient history, symptoms and physical examination and some laboratory tests, healthcare professionals can detect the infection. Diagnosis of Black fungus is simple, it can be:
Normally, the body immunity is perfectly able to deal the Mucormycosis. But in the scenario of pandemic the risk can be avoided by:
Treatment for Black Fungus include anti-fungal treatment (Amphotericin-B injections) and surgery for removal of infected part to prevent rapidly invasive infection.
To summarize, Mucormycosis treatment needs a multidisciplinary approach. Firstly, prevention and secondly, if one gets infected then early diagnosis of the disease can help patient in recovering from it.
