Demographic characteristics and risk factors for invasive fungal sinusitis in the context of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the demographic characteristics and potential risk factors of invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS) patients with Coronavirus Disease in 2019 (COVID-19).

METHODS

Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PubMed were searched from database inception to August 2023 using the combination of medical searching heading terms "invasive fungal sinusitis" and "COVID-19" and their free words. The research protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023467175).

RESULTS

A total of 53 studies were included. The mean age of IFS patients with COVID-19 was 53.72 (95% credible interval [CI]: 51.08, 56.36), with 66% males (95% CI: 0.62, 0.70), and 81% diabetes (95% CI: 0.77, 0.86). The mean time from COVID-19 diagnosis to IFS onset was 19.09 days (95% CI: 16.96, 21.22). The percentage of patients with COVID-19 PCR positivity was 33% (95% CI: 0.21, 0.45). Overall, 71% of patients receiving steroid therapy during COVID-19 infection (95% CI: 0.63, 0.78). The odds ratio of diabetes mellitus, steroid administration, and COVID-19 PCR positivity were 6.09, 2.21, and 1.82, respectively. COVID-19 infection did not affect the IFS stage.

CONCLUSION

IFS patients with COVID-19 had an average age of 53.72 years and were predominantly males, with a mean interval of 19.09 days from COVID-19 diagnosis to IFS onset. Diabetes, steroid administration, and COVID-19 PCR positivity were risk factors.