If you have been dealing with Inflametory Bowel Disease for a while, you have probably already heard of c.diff and know all about it. This post is for those that are new to IBD.
C.diff stands for Clostridioides Difficile. It is a bacterium that can cause severe instability in the bacteria of your gut. It can lead to c.diff colitis which resembles symptoms of ulcerative colitis and is extremely difficult to overcome. It can even be deadly. You should seek medical treatment immediately if you suspect you have c.diff because it can quickly become severe. Be aware that C.diff is contagious so if you have it or are around someone that has it be sure to wash your hands often and use a separate bathroom from those that have it.
Symptoms of c.diff are as follows:
Severe diarrhea multiple times of day
Bloating
Cramping
Blood or mucus in your stool
Stomach pain
Fever
Naseau
Dehydration
Loss of appetite
Causes
One of the biggest contributors to c.diff is antibiotic use. While antibiotics don't cause c.diff directly, they can prevent your body from fighting it off because they kill both the good and back bacteria that support your immune system. Some of the most common antibiotics that cause cdiff are clindamycin, fluoroquinolones (Cipro, Levaquin, Floxin, Avelox, Factive), and amoxicillin.
Similarly, if you are on immunosuppressants (like many with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's are)you are also more likely to contract c.diff as your immune system mat not be able to fight it off if you come in contact with it. C.diff can also be contracted while staying in the hospital or other heath care facility such as a nursing home.
Testing
Most likely, if your doctor believes you have c.diff, you will need to provide a stool sample. They will test the sample for strains of the bacteria or the toxins that are produced by the bacteria.
If there is concern for other complications related to c.diff more tests may be performed by your doctor, such as a sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, CT scan, or x-ray.
Treatment
Unfortunately it can be extremely difficult to get rid of c.diff once you have it. One in six individuals will likely have a reoccurrence of c.diff if they have had it once. Treament of c.diff usually involves an antibiotic. Most often the antibiotics Vancomycin and Fidaxomicin are used in treating it.
There is also a new treament that is being trialed for the treatment of c.diff called Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT). This is where they take stool from a healthy individual and transplant it into the colon of someone that is suffering from c.diff in hopes that the healthy bacteria from the healthy stool will fight off the c.diff. This treatment is also being used for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's patients as well.
Taking a probiotic supplement and eating food that contains probiotics (yogurt) will also help when you have c.diff but probiotics alone will not get rid of c.diff. They are good to use in conjunction with one of the other treatments.
Lastly, if you have a very severe case of c.diff, or reoccurring cases, you may need to have surgery to remove the infected portion of the colon.
The bacteria and microbiota of our gut effect so many different aspects of life that we must make it a priority to keep it healthy. Poor gut health can cause and lead to may illnesses and can even become deadly. Those of us with UC or Crohn's are aware o just how fragile our gut can be and having awareness of things like c.diff give us additional motivation to keep it strong and nourished.
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