"C. diff (also known as Clostridioides difficile or C. difficile) is a germ (bacterium) that causes diarrhea and colitis (an inflammation of the colon).
It’s estimated to cause almost half a million infections in the United States each year.
About 1 in 6 patients who get C. diff will get it again in the subsequent 2-8 weeks.
One in 11 people over age 65 diagnosed with a healthcare-associated C. diff infection die within one month.
Risk Factors for C. diff
C. diff can affect anyone. Most cases of C. diff occur when you’ve been taking antibiotics or not long after you’ve finished taking antibiotics.
There are other risk factors:
- Being 65 or older
- Recent stay at a hospital or nursing home
- A weakened immune system, such as people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or organ transplant patients taking immunosuppressive drugs
- Previous infection with C. diff or known exposure to the germs
Symptoms of C. diff
Symptoms might develop within a few days after you begin taking antibiotics.
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Stomach tenderness or pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea.."
C. diff
No comments:
Post a Comment