Sharp Increase Seen in Bacterial Colitis
Hand-washing and basic hygiene advised as preventatives

(HealthDay News) -- The number of hospital patients infected with bacteria that cause the intestinal inflammation known as colitis has skyrocketed in recent years.

The bacterium in question is Clostridium difficile , and between 1993 and 2003, the number of cases increased by 109 percent -- from 261 cases per 100,000 people discharged to 546 cases per 100,000, according to research published in the Archives of Surgery .

Symptoms of colitis include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain and tenderness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Usually, healthy people don't get sick from C. difficile , but the elderly or people who have been on antibiotics for a long period of time may be especially susceptible to the bacteria, the CDC reports.

C. difficile is transmitted through human feces, which means to become infected someone has to touch a surface that has been contaminated with feces and then touch their mouth or mucous membranes.

The research team -- led by Dr. Rocco Ricciardi, who's currently at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington , Mass. , but who was at the University of Minnesota Medical School at the time of the study -- reviewed data from more than 78 million people who were discharged from U.S. hospitals during the study's 10-year span. During that time, nearly 300,000 had a diagnosis of C. difficile colitis, an average of 383 cases per 100,000 people discharged.

Not only have the number of infections increased, but the infections also appear to be growing more serious. The rates of colectomy -- an operation to remove all or part of the colon -- went from 1.2 per 100,000 patients in 1993 to 3.4 per 100,000 patients in 2003.

Death rates from the infection have been on the rise, too. In 1993, the death rate was 20.3 per 100,000; by 2003, it had jumped 147 percent to 50.2 per 100,000 patients.

The increasing severity of the infection may be due to new, more resistant strains of the bacterium, suggest the authors. Normally, C. difficile can be treated effectively with 10 days of antibiotics, according to the CDC.

"Heightened awareness of the increasing disease burden of C. difficile colitis is an important first step in controlling the public health ramifications of this important and morbid [hospital-acquired] infection," the study authors said.

To prevent the infection, the CDC simply recommends good hand hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently, but especially after using the restroom and before eating. Also, clean household surfaces in bathrooms and kitchens with disinfectants or detergents.

On the Web

To learn more about C. difficile and the infection it causes, check out information from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; July 2007, Archives of Surgery ; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: July 31, 2008
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