Mucormycosis (Black fungus) Treatment
What is Mucormycosis?
Mucormycosis is a type of fungal infection. It’s relatively rare, but also very serious.
Popularly known as “black fungus” and formally known as zygomycosis, this infection tends to occur most often if you have weakened immunity from an illness or health condition.
It’s important to get treatment. If left untreated, mucormycosis can be fatal.
About Iranian Surgery
Iranian surgery is an online medical tourism platform where you can find the best Surgeons to treat your Mucormycosis in Iran. The price of treating a Mucormycosis in Iran can vary according to each individual’s case and will be determined by an in-person assessment with the doctor.
For more information about the cost of Mucormycosis treatment in Iran and to schedule an appointment in advance, you can contact Iranian Surgery consultants via WhatsApp number 0098 901 929 0946. This service is completely free.
Before Mucormycosis (Black fungus) Treatment
Symptoms of Mucormycosis (Black fungus)
Mucormycosis presents itself as either a respiratory or a skin infection. Signs of a related sinus or respiratory infection may include:
. Cough
. Fever
. Headache
. Nasal congestion
. Sinus pain
With a skin infection, mucormycosis can develop within any part of your body. It may initially occur at the site of skin trauma, but it can quickly spread to another area. Be on the lookout for symptoms such as:
. Blackened skin tissue
. Blisters
. Fever
. Redness
. Swelling
. Tenderness
. Ulcers
What causes mucormycosis?
Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucormyete molds. These organisms occur in:
. Leaves
. Piles of compost
. Soil
. Rotting wood
You can contract mucormycosis by breathing in affected mold spores in the air. This is referred to as a sinus (pulmonary) exposure. In turn, you may develop the infection in your:
. Central nervous system (rarer)
. Eyes
. Face
. Lungs
. Sinuses
The fungus can also infect your skin via a cut or burn (cutaneous exposure). In such cases, the wound or burn ends up becoming the area of infection.
While these types of molds can naturally occur in the environment, not everyone exposed will get the fungal infection. You may be at an increased risk of contracting this type of infection if you have a weakened immune system. Conditions that may increase your risk include:
. Burns
. Cuts and scrapes
. Cancer
. Recent organ transplant
HIV or AIDS
. Diabetes (especially if it’s not being treated properly)
. Surgery
How is mucormycosis diagnosed?
People who have mucormycosis often don’t know they have it. You may get diagnosed with the condition upon going to the doctor for a lung, sinus, or skin infection. You should see your doctor for any type of suspected infection.
Mucormycosis is diagnosed by looking at a tissue sample in the lab. Your doctor may collect a sample of phlegm or nasal discharge if you have a suspected sinus infection. In the case of a skin infection, your doctor may also clean the wounded area in question.
Can mucormycosis cause other conditions to develop?
Mucormycosis is particularly dangerous because it spreads quickly throughout the body. Left untreated, the infection can spread to the lungs or the brain. This can cause:
. A brain infection
. Paralysis
. Pneumonia
. Seizures
. Death
During Mucormycosis (Black fungus) Treatment
How is mucormycosis treated?
The first steps in treating mucormycosis are receiving intravenous (IV) antifungal medications and having surgical debridement. Surgical debridement involves cutting away all infected tissue. Removing infected tissue has been shown to prevent the infection from spreading further.
If you respond well to IV therapy and tissue removal, your doctor will likely remove your IV and give you oral medications to take.
Common antifungal medications that your doctor may prescribe for mucormycosis include:
. Amphotericin B (given through an IV)
. Posaconazole (given through an IV or orally)
. Isavuconazole (given through an IV or orally)
After Mucormycosis (Black fungus) Treatment
What is the outlook for mucormycosis?
Chances for mucormycosis recovery depend greatly on early diagnosis and treatment. The infection has the potential to spread throughout the body. Death is a possibility with this type of severe infection.
However, mucormycosis is relatively rare. To be on the safe side, you should always have your doctor evaluate any suspected form of infection to rule out such serious underlying causes.
Is it possible to prevent a mucormycosis infection?
Mucormycosis isn’t contagious, so you can’t get it from an infected person. Self-care measures are the best way to prevent this type of infection. If you have a weakened immune system, it’s important to keep yourself safe outdoors. Wearing a mask while doing yardwork and bandaging all wounds until they heal will help prevent fungal infections.
You may also consider taking extra precautions during the summer and autumn months, when there’s an increased amount of the fungi in the environment.
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