1 | INTRODUCTION
Mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection compared to Candida and Aspergillus species and is caused by Mucorales fungi of the Zygomycetes class.1 Immunocompromised conditions like Diabetes mellitus, systemic corticosteroid therapy, neutropenia, hematologic malignancies, stem cell transplant, and immunocompromised state are the predisposing conditions for mucormycosis.2,3 Though rhino-cerebral is the most common presentation however pulmonary mucormycosis is not rare. Pulmonary mucormycosis results from the inhalation of sporangiospores or by hematogenous or lymphatic spread.4 Patients with pulmonary mucormycosis usually present with non-specific symptoms such as cough, breathlessness, chest pain, and fever. Though early diagnosis is needed to prevent life-threatening complications however clinical diagnosis is difficult.
Pulmonary mucormycosis is rare in patients with liver cirrhosis. There are only 19 reported cases of mucormycosis associated with cirrhosis mainly by HBV and HCV. However, liposomal amphotericin B is the treatment of choice, and only one report of rhino-cerebral mucormycosis with cirrhosis was treated effectively with oral posaconazole.5 All of the patients died during the treatment. Our case might be the first case of pulmonary mucormycosis in a patient with decompensated cirrhosis of the liver treated effectively with oral posaconazole without any side effects and the patient survives beyond treatment.
Keywords: Decompensated, Posaconazole, Pulmonary Mucormycosis, Treatment