New Delhi, October 26 (IANS). A study has claimed that diarrhea can prove fatal for people who are white. This was discussed recently at the ID Week annual conference in Atlanta.
The study found that fair-skinned patients had a higher risk of being infected with Clostridium difficile (a dangerous bacteria that causes severe and often fatal diarrhea) than black or Hispanic (born in Spain or Latin America) patients.
According to the study, about 84 percent of deaths due to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) occur in white patients. The infection, which attacks the colon and causes severe diarrhea, is proving more deadly in white people than in other racial groups, researchers said.
In contrast, the death rate among black patients is 8 percent, while among Hispanic patients it is less than 6 percent, demonstrating a large racial difference in the fatal outcome of the infection.
The findings were shared at ID Week, the annual joint meeting of the professional society for infectious diseases.
At the event, experts stressed that it is important to understand why this bacterial infection affects some racial groups more severely than others.
Researchers also reported that Clostridium difficile infections are more common in people living in urban and metropolitan areas. About 84 percent of total infection-related deaths occurred in large cities, suggesting that urban populations are at greater risk of contracting the infection or suffering severe disease.
Clostridium difficile (commonly known as C.diff) is a bacteria that can cause life-threatening inflammation of the colon. It is spread mainly through contact with contaminated surfaces or through long-term use of antibiotics that upset the natural bacterial balance of the gut.
Although anyone can get the infection, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are considered especially vulnerable.
–IANS
kr/
