Colitis cases on the rise

According to researcher that appears in the Archives of Surgery, the bacteria Clostridium difficile, which is one of the causes of Colitis, a particular bowel inflammation, may have become more common, stronger or more resistant to antibiotics. A look at discharge data from U.S. hospitals from 1992 through 2003 found that the rate of such infections increased from 261 cases per 100,000 patients to 546 cases per 100,000 discharged patients, a 109 percent increase.

Clostridium difficile is found in the intestines of 1 percent to 3 percent of healthy adults and about 20 percent of those taking antibiotics, the study said. When the bacteria grow they can cause severe or complicated diarrhea that may eventually lead to death, it added. "Three million new cases of C. difficile colitis occur in the United States each year," the research team wrote, and anecdotal evidence and some studies suggest it "has become more common and potentially more pathogenic."

While the study shows the changing nature of this kind of colitis, it does do not offer explanations for the change, the researchers said. The shift could be caused by new strains of the bacteria, its increasing resistance to antibiotics or the increasing severity of illness and therefore susceptibility to infection among hospitalized patients, they concluded.

Steve - the hypothesis for the increase in cases is right on. Weaker hosts and more resistant pathogens make for larger numbers affected by C. Dificile. This pathogen can be extremely virulent. This first step in reducing its effect is to go off of antibiotics. Then, one must repopulate the gut with high-dose healthy flora (probiotics). A large influx of omega 3 fatty acids and an exemplary diet will accelerate healing and calm the inflammation.