What Is C. Diff Colitis?

C. diff colitis is an infectious disease that is easily transmitted through touch and contaminated surfaces. The term c. diff is an abbreviation of the bacteria clostridium difficile. This bacterium settles in the colon, where it may cause inflammation. Once the colon is inflamed, the affected patient is diagnosed with colitis. C. diff colitis simply refers to a swelling of the colon caused by the c. diff bacteria.

Risk Factors

• For the most part, people in good health are not at risk for catching the c. diff bacteria. The largest groups of people affected are those over the age of 65 who reside in a nursing home or have recently spent time in a hospital. The Journal of the American Medical Association warns that people with previous colon troubles, those with lowered immune systems, those who recently took an antibiotic or those who recently underwent gastrointestinal surgery are also at risk for contracting the bacteria.

Symptoms

• Often the symptoms of c. diff colitis mirror those of irritable bowel syndrome, which may lead to an improper diagnosis. These symptoms include watery stools, abdominal pain, weight loss and nausea. The most telltale symptom of c. diff colitis, however, is a fever. Once the bacterium causes an infection, the body will react by raising the body temperature. Monitoring your body temperature carefully will aid in defining a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

Diagnosis

• Most often, c. diff colitis is diagnosed with the use of a stool sample after a patient complains of symptoms consistent with the condition. Other tests may include a CT scan, X-ray and blood testing. These are predominately used to rule out more serious conditions, such as sepsis, that are also caused by clostridium difficile.

Treatment

• The first course of action will be a 10-day course of antibiotics used to rid the body of the c. diff bacteria. This alone will frequently clear the colitis. However, if ulcerative colitis has developed, causing ulcers in the colon, many rounds of medication may be required. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases also reports that 25 to 40 percent of all patients with ulcerative colitis require surgery to repair the damage. This makes early detection important to avoid a more serious type of colitis.

Prevention

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, the No. 1 thing you can do to avoid catching c. diff colitis is to wash your hands frequently. This is especially important when working with someone who is known to have the condition or while visiting a hospital or other health-care facility. It is also important to keep the living and bathing areas of those at risk clean with antibacterial products, such as chlorine bleach.