People, especially diabetics, must approach the doctor immediately if they develop symptoms of mucormycosis (Black fungus infection), said Usha Kim, Director (Paramedics) of Aravind Eye Care System.
Addressing mediapersons through a virtual platform on Friday, Dr. Kim said there was an increase in incidence of mucormycosis among patients. The number of cases that they attended to in the past week was equal to the number they used to attend to in a year. People either develop this infection after they recover from COVID-19 or after testing COVID-19 positive. “The commonality is that they are all diabetics,” said Dr. Kim.
The major signs and symptoms were: pain or redness in and around eyes, facial or hemifacial pain, discolouration around eye, sudden loss of vision, swelling in the eye, forward protrusion of eyeball, no eye ball movement, nasal stuffiness, discharge or nose bleeding.
The coronavirus can attack the pancreas and alter the blood sugar level, either because of the disease, or due to the treatment. “When the body’s immune system becomes weak, sugar presents an excellent ground for the mucormycosis to develop, especially in uncontrolled diabetes patients whose blood sugar levels are very high. It is of utmost importance to keep the blood sugar level under control during the course of treatment and afterwards,” said Dr. Kim. .
Mucormycosis could be cured if it was identified early and the patient referred to the appropriate specialist. “Delayed treatment can even turn fatal,” she added.
She said patients with diabetes must control blood sugar level by taking medicines as prescribed by the doctor and follow a healthy diet and do exercise.
“Blood sugar level must be monitored every day. If it is high, they must consult a physician, irrespective of whether there are mucormycosis symptoms or not,” she said.
Diabetics need to be extra careful in following the safety measures to prevent COVID-19 infection, she added.
