Mortality Risk High in IBD Patients With C.difficile Infection

Patients who are being treated for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at a greater risk of dying should they be infected by bacteria clostridium difficile

Patients who are being treated for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at a greater risk of dying should they be infected by bacteria clostridium difficile, a new study published in the journal, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics reveals.

The study was conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust who found that the risk of a patient dying from the bacterial infection increased by six times if he is suffering from IBD.

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The researchers collected data of all IBD patients who were hospitalized during the period between 2002 and 2008 and found that more than 25 percent of those who were infected with C. difficile saw their infection turn fatal compared to just 3 percent among those who did not suffer from IBD.

“Hospitals must do everything they can to control infections such as C. difficile. We are asking for these high-risk patients to be screened for C. difficile proactively on admission to hospital so that if they are exposed, they can be diagnosed and treated more quickly”, lead researcher Dr Sonia Saxena said.

Source-Medindia

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