P135 Immunological correlation with clinicomycological aspects of fungal rhinosinusitis during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background and Objectives: To determine the relation between disease spectrum, etiology, and immunological markers of fungal rhinosinusitis. Material andMethods: Diagnostic nasal endoscopywas used for thecollection of sinusand nasal tissue sampleswhich were processed as per standard mycological procedure for microscopy, culture and histopathological examination (HPE). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for total IgE, serum IL-6, IL-10, TNF-βlevels detection. Results: Out of 148 samples, 70% were diagnosed as FRS. COVID-19 infection 46.9% was the most common comorbid condition. Use of steroid therapy 46.9% was the most common predisposing factor. Nasal obstruction 62.2% was the most common clinical feature but headache (P-value.002) and eye discharge were statistically significant (P-value.005).KOH mount revealed findings in 84.69% patients in this study. Combination of KOH, HPE, and fungal culture revealed findings in 62.2% cases.Rhizopus arrhizus 27.6% was the most common isolate Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus arrhizus were statistically signif-icant (P-value.003,.026 respectively). IL-6 59.2% was the most common serological marker raised in this study. PNS imaging revealed that 100% of the patients had single or multiple sinus involvement and maxillary sinus (P-value.038) was significantly associated.Acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis 75.5% was the most common type of FRS.Mortality was 17.34% in this study. Conclusion: FRS is an important emerging public health problem and a cause of mortality and morbidity, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Furthermore, in the current scenario of COVID-19 pandemic, FRS has become more fatal and an entity of immediate and grave concern than ever before.