Prognosis

Mortality depends on the host and clinical presentation (e.g., disseminated disease in a transplant patient versus cutaneous disease in an immunocompetent host after inoculation trauma). Mortality is 97% in untreated disease. Mortality is reduced to 30% in patients treated with a combination of medical and surgical therapy. Infection with Cunninghamella species and disseminated disease are associated with poor outcomes.[39]

Outlook based on disease type

  • Localised sinus disease has the best outlook with mortality <10%.

  • Primary cutaneous disease in transplant recipients has a mortality of about 30%.[76]

  • Pulmonary disease has a mortality of 55% with medical therapy alone and 27% with surgery. Of note, the diagnosis was made at autopsy in nearly 30% of the patients.[77]

  • Rhino-orbito-cerebral disease has a mortality >50% in the presence of central nervous system extension.[55]

  • Disseminated disease has the worst outlook with mortality of nearly 100%.[3]​​

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