Medically examined by Maria Vázquez Roque, MD.
Stomach viruses tend to strike quickly, cause serious digestive system upset for a few days, and then disappear as quickly as they arrived. ButC.diffis another type of stomach problem. It is a bacterial infection that differs in several ways. How? The first clue is in its name:Clostridioides difficile. C.diff can be difficult because it’s stomach disease that might not go away, even after the party in your colon is over and your symptoms disappear. In fact, until 1 of 4 People who contract C. diff for the first time will experience a recurrence after stopping treatment. The second is the active one C.diff infection kills 15,000 to 30,000 people per year.
We
sprick with Maria Vázquez Roque, MDgastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, on the recognition and treatment of this serious intestinal enemy.
How is C. diff contracted? Is it airborne? Contagious?
C.diff is contagious, but it is not airborne. It is transferred by what we call the fecal/oral method: it travels onto unwashed hands or hands that have not been washed well enough. A person can become infected by touching an infected surface, such as a doorknob or bed rail.
What are the main symptoms of C. diff?
C.diff attack him colonit therefore causes fever, chills, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.
Should you quarantine or isolate after contracting C. diff?
Not in the same way that we quarantine or isolate for Covid. If you are around an infected person, you should be very strict in taking appropriate precautions. You want to practice good hand hygiene, especially if you live with an infected person. (Editor’s note: You should use soap and water for good hand hygiene. Hand sanitizers cannot protect against C.diff.)
Once you contract C. diff, does it completely go away?
It may or may not. Once you get C.diff, you can carry the bacteria without symptoms. It is not easy to know if a person is cured or if the bacteria is simply dormant (inactive). We cannot adopt a good culture of C.diff when it is dormant because it does not grow well in the laboratory. The bacteria may lie dormant and cause no problems for a while. But if it is still there, it can become active again, especially with the additional use of antibiotics, which can disrupt the healthy balance of the gut. We found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to experience a recurrence.
What are the signs that C. diff is recurring?
If the person experiences diarrhea again within eight weeks of the initial infection, accompanied by a series of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as stomach pain and nausea, we suspect C.diff is recurring. If this happens, it is important to see your doctor so you can get tested and treated.
Which provider should I see if I have symptoms of C. diff?
A primary care provider can easily order a stool study. You can also see a gastroenterologist or an infectious disease specialist. If you do not have access to a primary care provider, you will want to seek emergency care, depending on the severity of your symptoms.
How is C. diff treated?
Antibiotics. There are two types of prescriptions for C.diff: vancomycin And fidaxomicin. When these two are not possible, there is also an antibiotic called metronidazole for mild infections. If your antibiotic doesn’t work, you may want to talk to a specialist, such as a gastroenterologist or infectious disease specialist. There are also new options approved by the FDA in the past year that have been shown to be effective in preventing C.diff recurrence after standard antibiotic treatment.
Do certain antibiotics increase your risk of getting C. diff?
Yes. It is important to note that antibiotics do not cause or create C.diff; they can just activate inactive C.diff if it’s in your system. Any antibiotic can do this, but some common offenders are clindamycin And fluoroquinoloneThey are known to disrupt the intestine more than other antibiotics.
How to prevent C. diff by taking an antibiotic?
So far, there is no safe solution. Some published data shows that the use of a probiotic while taking an antibiotic may reduce the risk, but further evidence is needed to make specific recommendations. An important way to prevent flare-ups is to practice properly antibiotic management by taking them as prescribed and requesting the shortest, narrowest prescription possible.
This educational resource was created with the support of Seres Therapeutics and Nestlé Health Science.
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