en Virology Virology پژوهشي orginal article <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Background & Aims</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">: </span></b>&nbsp;<span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt">Mucormycosis, commonly known as &quot;Black Fungus,&quot; is an angio-invasive fungus and has become a significant concern during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of mucormycosis and related risk factors among COVID-19 patients, making an essential contribution to further understanding this opportunistic disease.</span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt">Methods & Materials:</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt"> This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was carried out among 276 patients. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of mucormycosis. The diagnosis of mucormycosis was established through a combination of clinical symptoms, imaging findings, and microbiological confirmation. The study examined demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, including age, gender, duration of hospitalization, and laboratory results, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood sugar levels. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS Statistics software package (version 26). Statistical significance was set at a P-value of 0.05. </span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt">Results:</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt"> The mean age of patients participating in the study was 59&plusmn;16 years. Among them, 158 patients (57.2%) were male, and 20 (7.2%) were diagnosed with mucormycosis. The analysis revealed a significant association between mucormycosis presence and various demographic and clinical variables, notably impacting hospitalization duration, blood sugar level, and serum CRP level. </span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt">Conclusion:</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:9.0pt"> Findings from our study indicate that elevated CRP and blood sugar levels, as well as prolonged hospitalization, are significant risk factors for mucormycosis in the patients.</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="background:#d9d9d9"><span style="line-height:16.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-size:9.0pt"></span></span></span></span></span> Blood Sugar, C-Reactive Protein, Coronavirus Infection, Corticosteroids, Mucormycosis, Opportunistic Infection 233 239 http://ijrabms.umsu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-134-8&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ali Moshki a.moshki@gmail.com 10031947532846003261 0009-0002-9902-8240 Yes Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Hasheminejad Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran Soha Mohammadi mohammadi.soha@iums.ac.ir 10031947532846003262 10031947532846003262 No Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran Tayebe Salehi sarasalehi27292@gmail.com 10031947532846003263 10031947532846003263 No Firoozabadi Hospital Clinical Research Development Unit (FHCRDU), School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran Farshad Divsalar dr.farshaddivsalar@gmail.com 10031947532846003264 10031947532846003264 No Firoozgar General Hospital, Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine , Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Amin Abbasi abbasi.ma@iums.ac.ir 10031947532846003265 10031947532846003265 No Firoozabadi Hospital Clinical Research Development Unit (FHCRDU), School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran