Fungal infections do not resonate as strongly with the general public as bacterial infections or those causes by viruses. Yet fungal infections can be very serious, and they place a considerable strain upon healthcare services worldwide.
An example of the seriousness is with mucormycosis, an infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These fungi live throughout the environment, particularly in soil and in decaying organic matter, such as leaves, compost piles, or rotten wood.
While these fungi are not harmful to most people, they present a risk to the immunocompromised host. Infections from mucormycetes have been in the public eye due to an association with infections and those suffering from severe cases of COVID-19. The worst-hit region of the world for this is India.
In India in particular, although early diagnosis and the use of antifungals can increase the chances of recovery, global shortages and a lack of new medications pose a significant health challenge.
Taking the U.S. alone as an example, fungal infections cost $6.7 billion in terms of healthcare related costs. This figure represents only the cases that were directly responsible for inpatient hospital stays. The data comes from the University of Georgia.
The figure climbs higher. When combined with secondary infections and diagnoses, the total cost of hospital stays associated with fungal infections stands at $37.7 billion. To put this into perspective, this equates to comprising 1.1 percent of total U.S. national health care expenses. Even accounting for the economic inefficiencies of the U.S. healthcare market, this sum is not insignificant.
Data used for the study was gathered in 2018 (666,000 diagnoses of fungal infections) and it indicates that the costs are not purely monetary. The study concluded that fungal infections in hospitalized patients also doubled the length of a patient’s stay and doubled the patient’s risk of death.
Fungi of concern
- Aspergillus: A mold that affects the respiratory system when inhaled.
- Pneumocystis: A fungus that causes inflammation and fluid build-up in the lungs.
- Candida: A yeast associated with life-threatening bloodstream infections and an infectious agent of the mucous membranes.
These figures indicate the rise in antimicrobial resistance, where medications that might have killed selected fungi in the past are no longer effective. As with bacteria, the falling supply of drugs to treat pathogens is a matter of global concern.
The researchers are recommending increased investment and research into vaccines for those in the population classed as vulnerable to the more common fungal diseases.
He health and cost data appears in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases, where the research paper is titled “Prevalence and Healthcare Burden of Fungal Infections in the United States, 2018”.
