Comparison of Laboratory Factors in COVID-19 Patients with and Without Mucormycosis
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Abstract
Background: There is increasing evidence that COVID-19 infection increases the patient's risk of secondary fungal infections. We aimed to compare the role of blood factors and inflammatory markers during COVID-19 infection in patients with and without mucormycosis.
Materials: The current research is cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical. The statistical population of this research included hospitalized patients with mucormycosis related to COVID-19 (as case group) and hospitalized patients with COVID-19 without mucormycosis (as control group) in Booali Sina and Velayat hospitals, Qazvin, Iran. Demographic information (age, gender) and laboratory findings were recorded in the prepared draft.
Results: We enrolled 69 patients as case group and 82 patients as control group. The mean age of the surveyed patients was 56.89 ± 16.06 years. Seventy-nine (52.3%) people from the patients, were male and 72 (47.7%) people were female. The mean of hemoglobin and WBC was higher in patients without mucormycosis and these differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The trend of CRP changes in patients without mucormycosis decreased more than patients with mucormycosis (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Differences in hematologic and inflammatory markers between COVID-19 patients with and without mucormycosis suggest that routine monitoring of parameters such as WBC, hemoglobin, CRP, and blood glucose may help identify patients at higher risk for mucormycosis and enable earlier diagnosis and intervention.
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