Clostridium difficile, commonly referred to as C diff, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to inflammation of the colon that can be life-threatening, and it appears to be on the rise in hospitals, nursing homes, and long term care facilities.
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, was once considered to be a serious infectious threat in hospitals and health care facilities, causing approximately 18,000 deaths annually. While MRSA still presents a huge problem, C diff is on the rise, and like MRSA, is drug-resistant to some antibiotics. Additionally, C diff is showing up in people who have not been hospitalized.
Dr. Becky Miller, an infectious diseases specialist at Duke University Medical Center presented results from a research study on Saturday at a medical conference on infection in health care facilities. The 2008 and 2009 study conducted at community hospitals in four states showed hospital-acquired C diff infection rates 25 percent higher than MRSA rates.
Symptoms of C diff include watery diarrhea three or more times a day lasting for more than two days and mild abdominal cramping and tenderness. Signs and symptoms of severe cases of C diff are watery diarrhea 10 to 15 times a day, severe abdominal cramping and pains, fever, nausea, blood or pus in stool, dehydration, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
The bacteria is passed in feces and spread to food, surfaces and objects when infected people do not wash their hands thoroughly. The germs can survive for months and can linger on surfaces such as telephones and remote controls.
Risk factors include individuals who have been hospitalized or have been in a health care setting, who have recently taken antibiotics, age 65 years and older, a weakened immune system, have a colon disease such as inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer, or those who have had C diff infection previously.
Complications of C diff include dehydration, kidney failure, a bowel perforation, a ruptured colon due to toxic megacolon, and even death.
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