A study done by researchers in Norway shows a link between Giardia infection & development of Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Researchers gave 817 patients who were exposed to Giardia lamblia mail-in questionnaires which asked them to explain any current symptoms they were experiencing. These patients infection was the result of a waterborne outbreak of Giardia which occured three years prior. They compared these patients answers with those from a control group containing 1128 people. Continue reading “Giardia Infection Linked to Irritable Bowel & Chronic Fatigue” »

Those who develop Clostridium difficile along with their Inflammatory Bowel Disease may have a harder time treating it with Vancomycin.

A review study of 101 patients who had an Inflammatory Bowel Disease of one kind or another found that Clostridium difficile was more likely to occur in those treated with the antibiotic vancomycin compared to those treated with another antibiotic, metronidazole or a combination of both. Vancomycin goes by the brand name Vancocin while metronidazole is also known as Flagyl.

The review study showed a recurrence rate of almost 40%(39.4%) in those who took vancomycin compared to 14.5% in those who took metronidazole & 13.3% in those who took a combination of both. No obvious differences were found between patients & the vast majority(89%) were on immunosupressive drugs of some sort. Steroid use does seem to play a role as reinfection rates were approximately twice as high, 32% vs 15.7%,  for those receiving a steroidal treatment. Continue reading “Clostridium difficile Recurrence Higher For IBD Patients Treated With Vancomycin” »

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