C. Diff: What to Know, and How to Treat It | Banner Health - vwin德赢正规吗,主頁(欢迎您)

Did you recently have a hospital stay? Have you been taking antibiotics? And have you been getting severe diarrhea too? If you said “yes” to a few of these, then you may have what’s called C. diff.

Also known asClostridioides difficile or C. difficile, this germ causes almost half a million infections in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And although it’s common, C. diff can be quite serious: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates15,000 yearly deathscould be directly tied to C. diff infections.

We spoke to Helen Arnold, infection prevention director forBanner Desert Medical Centerabout C. diff infections, treatment and prevention. Knowing those details and exercising good habits can help keep you and others safe.

What is C. diff?

C. diff is an infection in your large intestine (colon), andmost cases occurwhen you’re taking antibiotics or shortly after you’ve stopped taking them. Antibiotics can be essential in the healing process for many conditions and injuries. However, in the process of killing dangerous germs, they can sometimes also kill the germs that protect your body against harmful infections. So, it’s important to understand how they work and when they’re appropriate.

For instance, antibiotics, Arnold explained, are not effective in fighting viral illnesses — though many patients think they do. “I think the most common misconception remains that antibiotics are a cure-all for all infections,” Arnold added. “They are designed to treat specific bacteria which cause specific symptoms.”

In addition to antibiotic use, the CDC lists the following commonrisk factorsfor C. diff:

Age (65 or older)
Recent stay at a hospital or nursing home
A weakened immune system (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 can start only a few days after you’ve started taking antibiotics. In addition to diarrhea, C. diff symptoms may include:

Fever
Stomach tenderness or pain
Loss of appetite
Nausea

Treating C. diff

Folks taking antibiotics often get diarrhea, but they don’t necessarily have C. diff. Severe diarrhea, however, can be a telltale sign — so if that’s you, the CDC recommends getting medical care.

Your health care professional will review your symptoms and order a lab test of your stool sample. If you test positive for C. diff, you’ll likely be prescribed an antibiotic like vancomycin or fidaxomicin for at least 10 days.

Arnold explained that if someone islosing fluidsa lot faster than they can naturally replenish them — and if they can’t tolerate eating food — then they may need a brief hospital stay with IV fluids and possibly electrolyte replacement.

Since C. diff can inflame your intestinal lining, you may also need to slowly transition back to normal food.

C. diff safety tips

Tokeep C. diff from spreadingto others, the CDC recommends the following:

用肥皂和水洗手每次你使用the bathroom and always before you eat. It’s important to note that hand sanitizer does not effectively remove C. diff spores from your hands, Arnold said.
If you have diarrhea use a separate bathroom, if possible.
Take showers and wash with soap.
Using a mix of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, regularly clean items that are touched by hands (doorknobs, electronics, refrigerator handles, shared cups, etc.). Bleach kills C. diff spores on surfaces.
Regularly wash bed linens, towels, household linens and clothing (especially underwear).

When laundering in the washer, use the hottest water that is safe for those items, and use chlorine bleach if the items can be safely washed with it. When handling dirty laundry, consider using gloves, and always wash your hands afterward with soap and water.

C. diff recovery

阿诺德说,复苏通常需要大约两只小猪ks. Patients can get back to normal activities once their symptoms have stopped.

Once treatment is complete, it’s unlikely that your C. diff will be passed on to others, but Arnold explained that recovered patients can still carry germs. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 patients who get C. diff willget it againwithin 2-8 weeks. That means continued, diligent and thorough hygiene habits are super important.

If you or someone you know are experiencing C. diff symptoms, visit bannerhealth.com tovwin.comac德赢官方首页 in your area. You may also want to read these related articles, written with help from other Banner Health experts:

Gastroenterology Infectious Disease

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