Risk factors for mortality in patients with invasive mucormycosis.

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis is an uncommon and life-threatening fungal infection. The clinical predictors of outcome were evaluated in patients with invasive mucormycosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed histologically proven cases of invasive mucormycosis in our institution from 1996 to 2012.

RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were analyzed. The median age was 59 years (interquartile range [IQR], 50-67), and 32 patients (50%) were male. The most common underlying diseases were diabetes mellitus (67%), hematologic malignancy (22%), and solid cancer (19%). The most common infection sites were the rhino-orbito-cerebral area (56%) and the lungs (31%). The 180-day all-cause mortality was 33%. Disseminated infection was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 169.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.41 to 4492.64; P = 0.002). Pulmonary infection (HR: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.66; P = 0.02) and complete surgical removal of infected tissue (HR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.64; P = 0.01) were associated with decreased mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that patients with mucormycosis had a lower risk of mortality if they developed a pulmonary infection, rather than a disseminated infection and with complete debridement of infected tissue.