The Effect of the COVID-19 Epidemic on the Prevalence of Opportunistic Fungal Infections and the Consumption of Antifungal Drugs in Patients Hospitalized in Abadan Hospitals

Opportunistic fungal infections following COVID-19 is problematic. Antifungal medications are as well used to treat people who have fungal infections. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of fungal infections and the usage of antifungal medications before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The present descriptive, analytical, and retrospective study was conducted in 2021.The records of patients who were hospitalized in Abadan hospitals in the year before or the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and received at least one of the antifungal medication’s fluconazole, caspofungin, or amphotericin B were extracted and assessed for the present study. Demographic information of patients, type of ward, and type of fungal infection, history of previous infection with covid-19 and severity of disease were extracted from patient files. Descriptive analysis, chi-square, and ANOVA statistics were used to analysis the data.

The results indicated that the mucormycosis and aspergillus fungal infections had dramatically increased in the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic initiated. Although it was not statistically significant, the usage of antifungal medications rose in the two years following the beginning of COVID-19 compared to the prior two years. The mucormycosis fungus was the most prevalent fungal infection. The lung was the most commonly infected organ. All patients with fungal infection had a history of severe COVID-19 following the COVID-19 pandemic. The most often used medication was amphotericin B. This difference was substantial (P< 0.001) when aspergillosis patients received capsofungin, mucormycosis patients received amphotericin B, and candida patients received fluconazole.

The present indicated that aspergillosis and mucormycosis fungal infections were more common during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, antifungal medication use has increased as well. Additionally, all three medications (fluconazole, caspofungin, and amphotericin B) were administrated according guidelines.