Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infection More Common Than Previously Thought

A bacterial infection that can cause deadly diarrhea and other life-threatening conditions, particularly among the elderly and sick, is as much as 20 times more common than researchers previously thought, according to a new study.

Clostridium difficile, also called C. diff, affects as many as 13 out of every 1,000 patients in United States hospitals, which is between 6.5 and 20 times as many patients as previous estimates had found. On average, more than 7,000 infections and 300 deaths occur each day as a result of infection from C. diff, officials said.

The bacterial infection is becoming resistant to all but the most powerful antibiotics, making it similar to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a powerful infection dubbed a “superbug” that has recently garnered so much attention across the United States. MRSA is far more common than C. diff and affects an estimated 46 out of every 1,000 patients, officials said.

About 70 percent of patients infected by C. diff were older than 60 and many were far older, officials said. Of those infected, about seven out of 10 had underlying diseases, such as kidney failure, diabetes, or heart failure that made them more susceptible to infection.

More than one out of four infected patients had to be admitted to intensive care units, nearly 20 percent developed shock, and more than 16 percent required aggressive treatment to combat plummeting blood pressure, the study showed.

Also, most C. diff infections were contracted in hospitals or other healthcare facilities, according to the study. Officials blamed inadequate cleaning of hospital rooms and equipment for spreading C. diff.

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