Opioid use can result in a prolonged and more severe course of Clostridium difficile infection, a new study shows.
The findings make sense theoretically: Opioids reduce GI motility and promote the proliferation of bacteria and penetration into the gut of toxins that the organisms secrete.
“There is not a lot of awareness about opioids being a risk factor for C. diff. In our study, patients with opioid use during hospitalization had longer lengths of stay and higher peak white blood [cell]