A systematic review of mucormycosis cases in COVID-19: Is it an unholy trilogy of COVID-19, diabetes mellitus, and corticosteroids?

BACKGROUND: A significant surge of cases of mucormycosis is seen in individuals with COVID-19 with presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and usage of corticosteroids. We aim to conduct a systematic analysis of the cases involving presence of mucormycosis and to find out its association with COVID-19, diabetes mellitus, and corticosteroids. METHOD: The electronic records of PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct were searched for the case reports and case series that reported mucormycosis in association of COVID-19. The particulars of each case report and case series were retrieved, stored and analyzed. RESULTS: In this study, 476 cases of mucormycosis were reported. In 346 cases of mucormycosis, the patients were found to be COVID-19 positive. The incidence of diabetes Mellitus (DM) was 67.01%. Corticosteroid was administered in 57.77% of the cases. Mortality was reported in 36.34% of the cases. CONCLUSION: An immunosuppressive environment created due to the COVID-19, diabetes mellitus, and extensive use of corticosteroid provide a suitable background for the increased incidence of mucormycosis. The COVID task force should adopt an aggressive multidisciplinary approach to optimize the use of corticosteroids and maintain glucose in the optimal range.