IBD Raises Risk of Getting C. Diff Again
People with inflammatorybowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk for acquiring antibiotic-resistantClostridium difficileinfection.C. diffis a bacterium that causes inflammation of the colon (colitis).
New research shows they are also 33 percent more likely to experience a recurrence of the disease compared to the general population, often more than six months after the onset of their initial infection.
To analyze the risk factors for recurrentC. diffinfection in people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, researchers in Canada analyzed outcomes in infected patients with and without IBD. The results were published online in theAmerican Journal of Gastorenterologyin May 2016.
They also looked at the differences between IBD patients who had a single episode ofC. diff感染和那些有经验的复发。
Compared with the general population of recurrentC. diffpatients, those with IBD tended to have their recurrence much later after their initial episode, at a mean of 157 days compared with 76.
IBD patients were also more likely to undergo a colectomy (removal of part of the colon) as a result ofC. diffinfection, although less likely to die from the infection. No deaths were seen in the patients with IBD, compared with 48 (12 percent) of those without IBD.
As for differences between single-episode and recurrentC. diffinfection in IBD patients, there was an association between recurrentC. diffinfection and exposure to drugs commonly used to treat IBD, such as steroids, 5-aminosalicylic acids (mesalamine), and biologics.
