You can "C" the "Diff"erence when doctors don't overprescribe antibiotics

The disease I would like to discuss is Clostiodioides difficile, commonly referred to as C. diff. It is an infection of the gut that causes extreme colitis and diarrhea, as well as nausea, fever, and stomach discomfort. It most commonly occurs in patients after taking antibiotics for an extended period of time or in a particularly high dose--it is also common for patients that have had a stay in the hospital (known as an iatrogenic infection) to get C. diff since it is so incredibly contagious and people with it often have to go to the hospital. I thought this would be an interesting disease to cover because not only is it often overlooked as a deadly, miserable, and very common disease, but it also has roots in the overuse of antibiotics that western medicine has been guilty of for years. Another element of this is without a doubt a western lifestyle (sedentary and unhealthy eating) ignoring the huge role that diet plays into gut health in the microbiome. Both of these play a big part in the increase of this disease

I'll begin with a brief discussion of the digestive microbiome--basically, your gut contains about 100 trillion bacterial cells (fun fact: the number of bacterial cells in your body outnumbers the amount of human cells. what?) of many different bacteria species. Many of these bacteria are helpful in keeping your gut healthy and in good working condition--some of them are bad, but often these lay dormant in the harsh environment of the stomach. When antibiotics are taken for other infections, they can destroy a lot of the good bacteria in the gut, which leads to digestive problems and can open the door for a C. diff infection--especially if the bacteria were dormant in the gut already. 

Western medicine for many years had a tendency to overprescribe antibiotics for everything because they were looked at as a miracle drug that could fix all. Now we know that isn't the truth, but some of that ideology still stands in medicine today and antibiotics can be seen as a default even when it may not be that helpful. This kind of medical practice is one issue that can result in rising levels of C. diff infections. **It can also cause a lot of problems in terms of antibiotic resistance, which I talked about in an earlier blog post.

In the end, the best ways to prevent C. diff are: 1. Good hygiene always, but especially when C. diff is a possibility 2. Appropriate protocol for prescribing antibiotics 3. Prioritizing gut health and paying attention to how your body responds to changes in diet. C. diff can be deadly but if caught early and appropriate treatments--oddly enough, antibiotics is one of which--are used, patients can make a full recovery. Unfortunately many patients do get this infection again within a few months of the first infection, since it is now colonized in their system for sure.

https://www.cdc.gov/cdiff/what-is.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/syc-20351691

Comments

  1. Allison MooreNovember 17, 2021 at 5:28 PM

    Hi Jenna!
    I love that you chose C. Diff because I have been learning about this in one of my classes. You did a great job explaining how a person can be infected with C. Diff. It's crazy how important the gut microbiome is and how crucial a healthy gut microbiome is. Overall, I think you did a fantastic job with this blog post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paige PNovember 18, 2021 at 6:15 PM

    Jenna,
    I had no idea that gut gut health/diet influenced C. diff. It totally makes sense though, I just never thought about how much could actually be impacted. I will definitely try to make gut health a priority in my life now.

    ReplyDelete

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