A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will be presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta shows that the number of individuals who died from gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that causes vomiting and diarrhea, has more than doubled from 1999 to 2007.
Leading researcher Aron Hall, D.V.M., M.S.P.H. from the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases declares:
“Gastroenteritis is a major cause of death worldwide. By knowing the causes of gastroenteritis-associated deaths and who’s at risk, we can develop better treatments and help health care providers prevent people from getting sick.”
Researchers analyzed data from the National Center for Health Statistics to assess the number of gastroenteritis-associated deaths from 1999 to 2007 amongst people of all ages within the U.S., and discovered that the death rate from all causes rose from almost 7,000 to over 17,000 per year within the eight-year study period.
They noted that 83% of fatalities were adults above the age of 65 years and that the most frequent causes of infection were Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and the norovirus.
The researchers noted a 5-time increase of mortalities from 2,700 to 14,500, with C. difficile, a type of bacterium often linked to health care settings that causes diarrhea, being responsible for two-thirds of these deaths. They point out that a great part of the recent rise in C. difficile infection incidence and mortalities has been caused by the emergence and spread of a hyper-virulent, resistant strain of C. difficile.
800 deaths per year were attributed to the highly contagious norovirus that affects over 20 million people each year, although the researchers note that there were 50% more fatalities in years when new strains of the virus caused epidemics.
The norovirus is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in the U.S. and is spread from person-to-person as well as through contaminated food, water and surfaces – even though the virus can affect people all year-round, incident rates were observed to peak between December to February.
Hall concluded, saying:
“While C. difficile continues to be the leading contributor to gastroenteritis-associated deaths, this study shows for the first time that norovirus is likely the second leading infectious cause. Our findings highlight the need for effective measures to prevent, diagnose, and manage gastroenteritis, especially for C. difficile and norovirus among the elderly.”
Written by Petra Rattue