Health-related quality of life after orbital exenteration for COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis in South India: a cross-sectional SF-36 study and systematic review.

Publication date: May 17, 2026

Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, often necessitating orbital exenteration for disease control. While survival outcomes are increasingly reported, long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among survivors remains poorly characterized, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. This study evaluated HRQoL using the SF-36 among survivors of COVID-19-associated ROCM who underwent orbital exenteration. In this cross-sectional study, adult survivors of orbital exenteration for COVID-19-associated ROCM treated at a tertiary center in South India completed the SF-36 questionnaire. SF-36 domain and component scores were compared with Indian normative values using Welch’s t-tests. Multivariable linear regression assessed associations between demographic and clinical factors and Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Component Summary scores. A parallel narrative review of QoL studies in COVID-19-associated mucormycosis was conducted. Thirty-five survivors (mean age 47. 0 +/- 13. 5 years; 60% female) were included. PCS scores were comparable to Indian norms (50. 20 vs 47. 87; p = 0. 116), whereas MCS scores were significantly lower (36. 30 vs 51. 63; p 

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