Effects of SARS-Cov-2 infection and rhino-orbital mucormycosis on concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers in Indian populations

Abstract

Rhino-orbital mucormycosis is a rare life threatening invasive fungal infection that has recently shown a very high mortality rate in India during COVID-19 pandemic. We have designed the present study to find out associations between COVID-19 induced rhino-orbital mucormycosis and concentrations of inflammatory markers, i.e. D-dimer, Ferritin, IL-6, CRP and PCT, in blood serum of Indian population.There were four groups in the study, viz. control group with healthy subjects, treatment group-1 with patients suffering from SARS-COV-2 infection, treatment group-2 with patients suffering from both SARS-COV-2 infection and rhino-orbital mucormycosis, and treatment group-3 with patients suffering from rhino-orbital mucormycosis after SARS-COV-2 infection recovery. Inflammatory markers were quantified with standard protocols, and recorded data were subjected to statistical analyses.We found that patients suffering from SARS-COV-2 infection were more susceptible to rhino-orbital mucormycosis, as they had higher concentrations of inflammatory markers in their blood than the other subjects. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and renal disorders were the associated comorbidities with the patients. We also found higher concentrations of inflammatory markers in males than the females, indicating towards their higher susceptibility in developing rhino-orbital mucormycosis than females. Present study therefore suggests that the frequent occurrence of rhino-orbital mucormycosis in India during second wave of COVID-19 was possibly due to indiscriminate use of corticosteroids by COVID-19 patients. Subjects with previous history of comorbidities like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders and renal diseases are the most susceptible population groups for developing infection. Moreover, males are at higher risk of developing mucormycosis than the females.