LAUSR

BACKGROUND Whether dysregulated iron metabolism is associated with COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) remains unknown. Herein, we compare the serum iron indices in COVID-19 subjects with and without mucormycosis. METHODS We conducted a case-control study enrolling COVID-19 participants with and without mucormycosis. We compared the baseline serum iron indices (iron, ferritin, total iron-binding capacity [TIBC], unsaturated-iron binding capacity [UIBC], and percentage transferrin saturation) between CAM cases and COVID-19 controls. Additionally, we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess whether any iron indices are associated with CAM. RESULTS We enrolled 28 CAM cases (mean age 53.6 years; 78.6% men) and 26 controls (mean age 57.2 years; 73.1% men). Rhino-orbital (±cerebral) mucormycosis (85.7%) was the most clinical presentation. Diabetes mellitus was more frequent in the cases than controls (75% vs. 42.3%; p=0.015). Hypoxemia during COVID-19 illness was more common in controls than cases. The mean serum iron values (33 vs. 45 μg/dL, p=0.03) and TIBC (166.6 vs. 201.6 μg/dL, p=0.003) were significantly lower in CAM cases than controls. On multivariate analysis, we found a lower TIBC (OR 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99) and diabetes mellitus (OR 5.23; 95% CI, 1.21-22.68) to be independently associated with CAM after adjusting for serum iron, ferritin, and glucocorticoid therapy. The case-fatality rate of CAM was 73.9%. The iron indices were not significantly different between CAM survivors and non-survivors. CONCLUSIONS CAM is associated with lower TIBC levels than COVID-19 subjects without mucormycosis, suggesting dysregulated iron metabolism in its pathogenesis. Further studies are required to confirm our preliminary observations.