Who does it affect? Are some people more at risk?
The elderly are most at risk, over 80% of cases are reported in the over 65-age group. Immuno-compromised patients are also at risk. Children under the age of 2 years are not usually affected. Repeated enemas and/or gut surgery increase a person’s risk of developing the disease. C. difficile infection occurs when the normal gut flora is altered, allowing C. difficile to flourish and produce a toxin that causes a watery diarrhoea. Antibiotics may also alter the normal gut flora and increase the risk of developing C. difficile diarrhoea.
The elderly are most at risk, over 80% of cases are reported in the over 65 year -age group. Immuno-compromised patients are also at risk. Children under the age of 2 years are not usually affected. Repeated enemas and/or gut surgery increase a person’s risk of developing the disease. C. difficile infection occurs when the normal gut flora is altered, most frequently by antibiotics, allowing C. difficile to infect an and produce a toxin that causes a watery diarrhoea. Antibiotics may also alter the normal gut flora and increase the risk of developing C. difficile diarrhoea.
