Quality of life in patients treated for COVID-19–associated mucormycosis at a tertiary care hospital

Objectives Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–associated mucormycosis (CAM) has emerged as a formidable infection in patients with COVID-19. The aggressive management of CAM affects quality of life (QOL); thus, this study was designed to assess the QOL in patients with CAM at a tertiary healthcare institution. Methods This cross-sectional study of 57 patients with CAM was conducted over 6 months using a semi-structured standard questionnaire (the abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire [WHO-BREF]) and a self-rated improvement (SRI) scale ranging from 0 to 9. Cut-off values of ≤52 and <7 were considered to indicate poor QOL and poor improvement, respectively. The correlations of QOL and SRI scores were evaluated using Spearman rho values. Results In total, 27 patients (47.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 34.9%–60.1%) and 26 patients (45.6%; 95% CI, 33.4%–58.4%) had poor QOL and poor SRI scores, respectively. The overall median (interquartile range) QOL score was 52 (41–63). Headache (adjusted B, −12.3), localized facial puffiness (adjusted B, −16.4), facial discoloration (adjusted B, −23.4), loosening of teeth (adjusted B, −18.7), and facial palsy (adjusted B, −38.5) were significantly associated with the QOL score in patients with CAM. Conclusion Approximately 1 in 2 patients with CAM had poor QOL and poor improvement. Various CAM symptoms were associated with QOL in these patients. Early recognition is the key to optimal treatment, improved outcomes, and improved QOL in patients with CAM

Hospital Course and Comorbidity Profile of Swine Flu (H1N1) Deaths in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Southern Rajasthan

Introduction: Influenza is an acute respiratory tract infection caused by influenza virus. There has been resurgence since 2009 pandemic in India. Rajasthan, being one of the worst hit states and the fact that clinico-epidemiological profile of swine flu positive deaths varies from place to place and from time to time, it becomes important to conduct audit of cases in each resurgence phase. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective descriptive study done in MB Government Hospital, Udaipur on 61 swine flu positive deaths for a year (September 2018 to August 2019). All relevant details were noted in the preformed performa, analyzed and results were attributed a statistical significance of p &lt; 0.05. Results: Out of 61 deaths, 27.9% deaths were in the 41-50 age group. About 63.9% were males and 50.8% belonged to rural areas. Only 21.3% patients seeked hospital care within 72 hours of onset of symptom. Fifty-three had comorbidities. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (30.1%) was the most common comorbidity. Conclusion: Our study showed that most patients had multiple comorbidities. Those with comorbidities and delayed hospitalization from the onset of symptoms (&gt;3 days delay) showed less survival time in the hospital. People with a comorbid condition should be vaccinated with influenza vaccine prior to outbreak of the disease