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Obesity appears to alter the composition of gastrointestinal flora in both animals and humans ... or perhaps it is an alteration in gastrointestinal flora that leads to obesity. Either way, this finding led Israeli researchers to evaluate the relation between body weight and vulnerability to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
In a retrospective case control study, 148 hospitalized adult patients with confirmed CDI were matched with other hospitalized patients who had similar comorbidities and recent antibiotic use patterns but who did not have diarrhea. Mean body-mass index (BMI) in the CDI group was significantly higher than in controls (33.6 vs. 28.9 kg/m2), as were incidence of proton-pump inhibitor use and prior intra-abdominal surge…