Deadly Black Fungus in COVID Patients - Mucormycosis

in india the prevalence of covid 19 in  black fungus infections has increased   what's the black fungus why is it associated  with covid why is it occurring in india how is   it diagnosed and treated and how do you prevent  it that's what this video is about so welcome to   another video if you're new here my name is  mike hanson i'm a board-certified physician   specializing in internal medicine pulmonary  disease and critical care medicine and if you   like learning about health and medicine this is  the channel to click on that subscribe button   and bell notification okay what is the black  fungus among us black fungus is mucor mucormicosis   a rare but dangerous infection it's caused by a  group of molds known as mucor miceites these fungi   can be found in decaying leaves compost piles and  rotten wood molds require moisture in decaying   organic material in order to thrive mucormicities  release large numbers of spores that can go into   the air infections occur more frequently in the  summer and fall compared to the winter and spring   people can inhale these fungal spores  when they're near moist dead vegetation   small hair-like structures called cilia  can catch these spores in your airways   and get into your lungs they can also get  trapped in your mouth nose and sinuses you can   also swallow them in which case these spores are  harmless and pass through your digestive system   the immune system cleans up any leftover spores  now for most people the vast majority of people   getting these spores in their body is no big deal  but black fungus has an advantage   in people who have a weak immune system if your  immune system is weak or your cilia for some   reason don't work well for example with certain  genetic conditions it's easier for the spores to   get deep into the sinuses and other body tissues  once this happens it's harder for your immune   system to dispose of them besides entering  your body through your mouth nose and sinuses   the fungus can also enter through a break  in your skin such as a cut or a scrape the types of mucourmycosis infections depend  on where they enter your body so rhino cerebral   mucour mycosis is an infection of the sinuses that  can occur when a person with a weakened immune   system breathes in those fungal spores air enters  the nose and may go into the sinuses which are air   chambers found in the facial bones sinuses are air  pockets that serve to lighten the skull provide   resonance for speech and moisturize and warm the  air that we breathe the infection can spread from   the sinuses to the brain or the eyes people  with diabetes who have poorly controlled blood   sugar are more likely to develop a black fungal  infection of the sinuses same for those who've   had a kidney transplant lung mucormicosis is most  common in those with a very weakened immune system   after having cancer treatment or an organ  transplant skin mucour mycosis develops when the   fungus enters the skin through a scrape or cut in  the skin and this is the most common type of black   fungus infection in people who have a healthy  immune system disseminated mucomicosis occurs when   the infection spreads throughout the body via the  bloodstream the fungus invades the blood vessels   reducing blood flow to organs and tissues supplied  by these damaged blood vessels now when that blood   flow is decreased the tissues can't get enough  oxygen and nutrients and then they start to die   dyeing tissue turns black black fungus grows  well on dying tissue after passing through the   blood the fungus usually affects the brain but  it can also affect the spleen heart and skin an opportunistic infection takes advantage  of you when your immune system is weak   we use steroids like dexamethasone aka decadron to  treat sicker people with covid 19. when covid 19   gets into the lungs meaning covid pneumonia the  immune system is stirring up this crazy amount of   inflammation there which can do a lot of damage so  we try to minimize that inflammation with steroids   sometimes for very severe covid pneumonia we  also give a drug called tosolyzymab which also   makes the immune system weaker unfortunately  this can lead to black fungus infection   not just because it suppresses the  immune system but also because steroids   increase blood sugar levels and fungal infections  love sugar sugar is their go-to for nutrition   people with uncontrolled diabetes have higher  blood sugar levels which helps the fungus grow   and flourish diabetes is extremely common in  india it's actually estimated that 15% of adults   in india's urban areas have it so why is this  black fungus outbreak mainly happening in india   well one reason is related to the swelling number  of covid cases in addition to the liberal use of   steroids there but there are likely other  factors as well sometimes there are   mucormycosis outbreaks in hospital settings these  outbreaks have been linked to adhesive bandages   wooden tongue depressors hospital linens  negative pressure rooms water leaks   poor air filtration non-sterile medical devices  building construction but also oxygen face masks   and humidifiers help people with covid 19 breathe  easier and they deliver oxygen to their lungs   these devices can make it easier for the black  fungus to invade the sinuses and cause infection   the majority of infected people have diabetes  and have recently recovered from covid 19   so according to recent reports 85 percent of  people with mucormycosis also have diabetes of the   222 initially diagnosed 212 were covid 19 positive 29 were not given steroids   12 were considered to be immunocompromised  and 21 had another medical condition the symptoms of mucormicosis depend on  where the fungus is growing in your body   the most common sight of infection in patients  recovering from covid is the sinuses in the   brain the symptoms would then be similar to those  of a sinus infection so facial swelling on one   side of the face headache nose or sinus congestion  black sores on the bridge of the nose or the roof   of the mouth and fever so the black sores are a  feature of black fungus and are not usually found   in more typical bacterial and viral sinus  infections as the infection gets worse these   symptoms can progress to blood-tinged runny  nose bulging eye difficulty fully closing   the eyelid difficulty moving the eye visual  problems and black pus draining from the eyes   when the infection involves the skin there are  blisters or ulcers that may eventually turn black   you may also experience pain warmth redness and  swelling around that area of infection these are   signs of inflammation which indicate that your  immune system is fighting the infection as a skin   infection worsens and progresses the affected  area swells and becomes hard and painful to the   touch it may begin draining pus form a walled  off infection known as an abscess or develop   blackened areas from dying skin tissue symptoms  of a lung infection this would include fever   cough chest pain shortness of breath and since  mucormycosis is caused by fungal spores in the   environment it's not contagious it does not spread  from person to person or from animal to person if you have typical black fungus symptoms  your doctor may take a sample of fluid   from your nose or your throat and  then send it to a lab to be tested   they may also do a tissue biopsy which  means taking a small piece of tissue   and then looking at it underneath the microscope  if your infection is in your nose or your sinuses   a doctor may use a tube with a light and a  camera to look inside your nose and sinuses   blackened or dead looking tissue makes it more  likely that the black fungus is the culprit   so your doctor may also do a cat scan or an mri  or both to take pictures of your head and sinuses   cte or mri scans can help find out whether the  infection has spread to your brain or other organs although rare black fungus is a serious infection  the sooner you detect it and treat it the better   the outcome anti-fungal medication can stop  the fungus from dividing and spreading   in india doctors are treating the infection with an  iv drug called amphotericin b now this medication   has lots of potential for side effects and there's  an inside joke in the medical community that it's   called amphoterible treatment can take several  weeks so black fungus thrives on dead and dying   tissue in severe cases as the infection worsens  and the tissue dies it will become black and   necrotic in this case doctors will surgically  remove this tissue to keep the infection from   spreading some people with severe infections  have had parts of their face jaw or eyes removed untreated the death rate from  mucormycosis is estimated to be 54%   the death rate from the fungus will depend  on how healthy the person is but also whether   they have other medical conditions the type of  fungus and the area of the body that's infected   also if their blood sugars are controlled or  not so if you have covid what can you do to   prevent getting mucormycosis for one make  sure your blood sugars are well controlled   two only take steroid medications  if properly recommended by a doctor   three if you're wearing a mask make sure it's a  fresh clean mask and four this includes cpap masks   or bipap masks make sure that you clean them  properly and frequently so that's all for this   video thank you for watching and i'll be coming  out with another one it's gonna be a big one and   it's gonna be a controversial one on the origin  of covid so make sure you stay tuned for that you

Channel: Doctor Mike Hansen

Views: 2,860,317

Keywords: black fungus, mucormycosis, fungal infection, black fungus symptoms, india black fungus, black fungus infection, black fungal disease, what is mucormycosis, covid black fungus, black fungal infection, treatment of black fungus, black fungus outbreak, causes of black fungus, black fungus treatment, symptoms of mucormycosis, treatment of mucormycosis, black fungus explained, black fungus covid, what is black fungus, mucormycosis symptoms, covid fungus, mucormycosis covid

Id: bUtfSmSJbM8

Length: 10min 40sec (640 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 02 2021