Summary: C. diff (clostridium difficile) commonly affects older patients in the hospitals or those placed in long-term care facilities like a nursing home.Clostridium Difficile (C. diff) is a well-known hospital infection and one of the most urgent antibiotic-resistant threats in U.S. hospitals. C. diff commonly affects older patients in the hospitals or those placed in long-term care facilities like a nursing home. What are the symptoms of C.diff? C. diff has a variety of symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal cramping and pain, blood in your stool, weight loss, nausea, dehydration, and kidney failure. Recently there was a CDC study published in NEJM regarding the rising burden of C. diff in our country. C. diff bacteria causes a potentially life-threatening intestinal disease that accounts for more than 15,000 deaths each year. Older adults and people who have had antibiotic treatment or spent time in hospitals or nursing homes are at the highest risk. The goal of a vaccine is to prevent at-risk individuals from becoming infected with C. diff, as the the strains have become more frequent, more challenging and more severe to treat in recent years. Stephen J. Schrantz, Jr., MD, MA, joins Dr. Mike to discuss C. diff and if you could be at risk of developing this infection.
