Early Symptoms Of Mucormycosis Or Black Fungus

Early Symptoms Of Mucormycosis
(Last Updated On: July 7, 2022)

Do you know what are the early symptoms of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus? Mucormycosis or black fungus is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from COVID-19. Moreover, anyone who is diabetic and whose immune system is not functioning well needs to be on the guard against this.

This article is for spreading awareness about early symptoms of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus and help people to take necessary precautions advised by the health experts.

Read What Is Black Fungus – Mucormycosis? How To Stop Black Fungus?

Early Symptoms Of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus

Infection by the black fungus has become a big cause of concern in the current era. It’s important for us to understand that what we call black fungus is caused by a fungus known as Mucormycosis. It was very occasionally seen in patients whose immunity was low. For example diabetics with poor control, those who were on chemotherapy because of cancers or those who were post-transplant patients. In them, one was seeing occasionally both in the sinuses and in the lungs.

Mucormycosis Sinus Lungs
Mucormycosis Sinus Lungs

Now, this fungus is seen in the environment. It’s seen in the soil and it can be present in healthy people normally at times in their nose for some time. But the body’s immune system is strong enough to prevent the infection from happening and therefore nothing happens to these people even if they inhale the fungal spores.

Environment and soil - Mucormycosis
Environment and soil – Mucormycosis

The disease is much easier to control and treat if patients present to us early.

Read Best Tips For Faster Post COVID-19 Recovery

Early Symptoms Of Mucormycosis

Early Symptoms Of Mucormycosis
Early Symptoms Of Mucormycosis

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Early symptoms are nasal can at times be blood-stained nasal blockage, pain and numbness in and around the areas of nose and face.

Facial pain Mucormycosis
Facial pain and headache – Mucormycosis

Read Post-Covid Complications: Symptoms And Treatment

Constant Toothache Mucormycosis
Constant Toothache Mucormycosis

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Sometimes the patient can have a persistent headache and can also present with loosening or pain around the tooth region.

Infection eyes black fungus
Infection eyes Mucormycosis

Swelling and redness of eyeball, protrusion of eyeball and blindness indicate that the disease has spread to the eye.

If the disease goes beyond the eyes and sinuses into the brain then that is usually a late presentation and the patient can have seizures or loss of consciousness.

Read Home Care For COVID19 Patients And Precautions

People at risk and precautions to be taken

This is predominantly because of three main factors.

Covid risk Mucormycosis
Mucormycosis – Covid Risk

One is the infection itself. COVID is a viral infection but it affects our immune system in a way that predisposes us to get the fungal infection.

Diabetes risk Black fungus
Diabetes risk-Mucormycosis

Secondly is underlying diabetes. If you have diabetes which is with poor control, your sugars are high then that also serves as a medium for the fungus to grow.

Steroids risk Black fungus
Steroids risk Mucormycosis

The third important factor is the use of steroids. Steroids are very useful in moderate to severe COVID.

Read A COVID-19 Monologue And A Human Response ( Lessons Learned)

What do steroids do?

Two things. One is, in a diabetic, the use of steroids will lead to blood sugars going up. Secondly, steroids will also affect the immune system and that indirectly will also lead to a higher chance of mucormycosis.

So the combination of covid19 infection, diabetes and use of steroids. All of this has led to a higher number of cases of mucormycosis being seen and therefore it’s very important for us to work in terms of limiting the use of steroids only using them when they’re needed. And those who have underlying diabetes to understand the responsibility and make sure that they have good control of their sugars so that they are not predisposed to fungal infection if they get COVID infection.

If you are concerned see a doctor preferably an ENT doctor who can look inside the nose and confirm if there is such a problem.

If you take all these precautions in general you should not get the infection. And even if you do get the infection if treated early we can control it very well.

Mucormycosis – Do’s and Dont’s

Mucormycosis - Do's and Dont's
Mucormycosis – Do’s and Dont’s

Final Thoughts

Hope you could understand the early symptoms of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus explained by the health experts. It’s important that we take this message seriously so that we work aggressively to prevent the increasing number of cases of mucormycosis that we are currently seeing with the second wave of COVID-19.

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