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A NEW SURVEY has found that despite it being more common in hospitals than MRSA, Clostridium difficileinfection (CDI) is relatively unheard of amongst patients.
However, up to 30 per cent of patients diagnosed with the hospital acquired CDI die within 30 days of infection.
Clostridium difficile is a serious illness where the bacteria produce toxins that cause inflammation of the colon, diarrhoea and in some cases, death.
It is 2-4 times more common than MRSA but has a much lower level of awareness – meaning that people may not know the risk posed to them especially if they’re in hospitals or nursing homes or have a condition which may reduce their immune response.
Intensive care
A European Study indicates that approximately 1 in 10 cases of CDI cause-or contribute to- intensive care unit admission or death, or lead to surgery to remove part of the bowel, known as a colectomy.
While the HSE reports show that In Ireland, there were 1,696 new cases of C. difficile infection notified in 2010 - the most recent statistic available.
One thing that is different to MRSA is that alcohol gel does not protect against or stop the spread of cDiff which is particularly important as the research shows that people aren’t aware that alcohol gel is ineffective which puts them at risk.
C. difficile exists as active bacteria that can cause infection and also as dormant seed-like structures called “spores” which can live for months on hospital surfaces.
Transmitted from hands
It can be transmitted to patients from the environment or from the hands of contaminated healthcare workers.
Ipsos MRBI, on behalf of Astellas Ireland, conducted the research on cDiff among members of the general public in August 2013. The report found that 85 per cent of Irish people believe, incorrectly, that MRSA is the more common hospital infection when in fact Clostridium difficile is.
The proportion of CDI cases occurring or originating in nursing homes has increased significantly in recent years to 13 per cent.
In light of the research CEO Tadhg Daly of Nursing Homes Ireland said: “We are urging people to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after contact with patients, to help prevent C. difficile spores from spreading.”
Dr Margaret Hannon, microbiologist said the general public need to be aware of what Clostridium difficile is and the symptoms associated with this infection.
Hand washing
“To ensure to wash their hands with soap and water as this helps to prevent this infection from spreading. The World Health Organisation (WHO) refers to The Five Moments of Hand Hygiene an excellent resource that demonstrates the correct hand washing technique,” she said.
Hannon said the main challenge in the treatment of CDI is around recurrence. Around 25 per cent of patients treated with current C. difficile therapies may suffer a second infection, increasing the risk of developing further infections by 45-65 per cent.
She added that patients who experience a recurrence of the condition are at a higher risk for further recurrences, leading to a cycle of repeated infections.
Naomi Fitzgibbon, Cancer Information Services Manager at the Irish Cancer Society said:
Clostridium difficile affects the most vulnerable members in society, particularly patients who are being treated for cancer, as well as other groups whose immunity against infections may be compromised.There is an inadequate level of awareness of CDI among the public, which has been confirmed through the IPSOS MRBI awareness survey.
We would urge patients who develop diarrhoea while in hospital to report this to a nurse or doctor or anyone with severe or prolonged diarrhoea, should consult his or her doctor.
The symptoms of Clostridium difficile range from mild, self-limiting diarrhoea, to severe, life-threatening bowel complications.
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They don’t clean the curtains between beds regularly. They clean the floors, walls, beds, lockers but not the curtains ! They must be full of bacteria !
I contracted this while in the hospital having my baby I was informed that you can catch it off instruments ! Let me tell you it’s no walk in the park it’s so painful and soul destroying :-( and it can take months to be diagnose
Wow you poor thing that must of been awful. Hope you and baba are doing good now.
“Ireland one of the safest places to give birth” WHAT A JOKE!!!
Hi thanks for your concern :-) were good thanks but dreadful at the very beginning I was so sick and I still get bouts of it as it never really goes away
It can do untold damage to the digestive system,
Some people and even gastro clinics are having amazing success against it by using Feacal transplants, this can be done in the patients home by themselves or loved ones ,,as long as the donor has a healthy digestive system it can be very successful,, unfortunately there is NO MONEY to be made by big pharma in this treatment therefore it is largely ignored by the medical proffesion, instead plying the patient with (yes you have guessed it) MORE antibiotics which further damage the gut flora and indeed worsen the problem,,
Some people might think swapping poop from a healthy donor to someone with a imbalanced gut flora is disgusting but i feel its totally natural and less repulsive than synthetic alternative,
anyway thats just my 2 cents
This is a fantastic piece on c-dif. It is under reported and people are certainly not aware of how dangerous and potentially fatal it can be. That said our doctors, nurses, paramedics and health care workers try their best to provide a safe environment for us all in the face of crippling cuts.
I know that someone colonised with MRSA, and other bugs, can live relatively comfortably whereas with Cdiff it’s a different story. I’ve been on a ward where this appeared one end of the ward in the morning, within hours patients the other end of the ward had it. It spread so fast it was like something out of a movie.
My father died from c diff in July 2013. He died in agony and wasn’t even given morphine to ease his suffering.
Oh god I’m so sorry for your lose it really is a horrible disease I was past from pillar to post before it was diagnosed
Sandycove, that’s horrific, so sorry, and very good point.
Sandycove, that’s appalling. In which hospital did this occur? I contracted C. Diff. in St. James’ in 2012 and it took nearly 3 weeks to shift.
I contracted mine in the rotunda
We really need to control covert Drug company marketing. Astellas have a newly licenced antibiotic, Fidaxomycin, to treat CDiff and are pushing it like mad. Thus the ‘survey’ which is a good way of upping interest. Recent studies have shown that the majority of cases of c.diff colitis are caused by bugs already carried by patients. Broad spectrum antibiotics kill off ordinary bowel flora and leave the CDiff to flourish. Yes Fidaxomycin is a good agent but other agents work too. Whenever you see a survey like that mentioned above, you need to ask yourself, and Journalists need to ask. What is the angle? To fully comprehend a story you need all the information you can get.
Wouldn’t the logical answer be to do away with the old fashioned wards/17 bed dormers and to have smaller, 2-4 bed units like they do in continental Europe?
Would Astellas research have anything to do with the fact that they sell Dificlir, a CDI treatment?
Btw I’m not detracting from the main content here; ie C Diff is an awful, potentially life threatening infection that is often preventable through adequate ward, staff and patient hygeine and by avoiding inappropriate use of antibiotics. I’m just a bit cynical when I see “research” articles sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.
Bleach and fire will shift it. Hospitals should be burnt to the ground every 15 year’s and built again like the American system. Too many contaminants. Too risky.
Could you re-post a higher-res version of the infograph please?
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