Steroids caused black fungus infection: GSVM Medical college study

KANPUR : Black fungus or mucormycosis infection that many people developed during the second Covid wave last year was not the result of oxygen, as it was initially believed, but due to use of steroids, a study of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College has found.

A total 86 patients, highest in the state, were treated in special ward of department of ophthalmology of the medical college during and after the second wave of the pandemic. Five patients had lost their lives due to the black fungus infection.

A team of three assistant professors, including Dr Kunal Sahai, Dr Namrata Patel and Dr Tejaswini Chandra, led by associate professor Shalini Mohan studied each black fungus case. Prof Mohan said at the outset, the moisture caused due the oxygen use was seen catalysing the fungus. “But this study has found that the use of steroids was responsible for black fungus infection,” she said. “Many of the patients who developed black fungus were not given oxygen. During that period, people who

Findings of the study

86 black fungus cases were reported in the GSVM Medical College. Thirtythree of them were hospitalised and 27 of them were given oxygen. 53 patients were treated for Covid at home. They developed black fungus later and were admitted to Kanpur’s LLR hospital. Black fungus developed after 10 to 20 days after patients were infected were in home isolation or in hospitals had also taken steroids heavily,” she added. It has been cleared in the study that most of patients who had taken steroids were diabetic which caused

A TOTAL 86 PATIENTS WERE TREATED IN SPECIAL WARD OF DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY OF THE MEDICAL COLLEGE

mucormycosis either through nasal region or eyes.

In five of the patients, the mucormycosis reached the brain and they lost their lives. While one eye of seven others had to be removed during the second wave at LLR medical college.

“The study has confirmed the fungus did not spread due to lack of oxygen or moisture but due to heavy use of steroids. Maximum number of its patients were diabetic. This study was published in Delhi Journal of Ophthalmology two days ago. This is one of top most index journal in the country,” she claimed.