The most common symptoms are:
- watery diarrhoea, which can be bloody.
- painful tummy cramps.
- feeling sick.
- signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth, headaches and peeing less often than normal.
- a high temperature (fever) of above 38C (100.4F)
- loss of appetite and weight loss.
What is the leading cause of C. diff? C. diff (Clostridioides difficile)
C. diff is a germ (bacterium) that causes diarrhea and colitis (an inflammation of the colon).
Most cases of C. diff infection occur while you're taking antibiotics or not long after you've finished taking antibiotics.
That’s because antibiotics that fight bacterial infections by killing bad germs can also get rid of the good germs that protect the body against harmful infections, like C. diff infection. If you take antibiotics for more than a week, you could be even more at risk.
Other C. diff risk factors include:
- older age (65 and older)
- recent stay at a hospital or nursing home
- a weakened immune system, such as people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or organ transplant patients taking immunosuppressive drugs
- previous infection with C. diff or known exposure to the germs
You can still get C. diff even if you have none of these risk factors.
