November, marked as Clostridioides difficile (C diff) Awareness Month, serves as a constant reminder of the ongoing journey of the medical community in gaining insights about C diff. Christian John Lillis, Executive Director at Peggy Lillis Foundation, in an interesting dialogue with Pharmacy Times, shared about the evolving understanding of C diff among clinicians.
Since the inception of the Peggy Lillis Foundation in 2010, Lillis has observed an uneven knowledge growth about C diff among clinicians. With myths and misconceptions about C diff rooted heavily among medical professionals due to their training background and the specialty they practice, he emphasized the need to dispel such notions. A prevalent misconception is considering C diff as a hospital-acquired infection that primarily affects the elderly. Many even consider it as a nominally problematic disease, unaware of its debilitating impact on a significant population, claiming around 30,000 lives annually.
In the early 2000s, the emergence of a new strain, the NAP1 strain, rendered C diff more virulent, causing significant damage to the intestinal tracts of patients. Moreover, over the years, an increasing number of C diff infections have been reported in community settings involving individuals with no recent history of antibiotic usage. With about half of all infections occurring in the community, it’s a challenge that only about 40% of Americans are aware of C diff, leaving the majority in the dark about this dangerous disease and its risk factors and symptoms.
In light of this, during C diff Awareness Month, The Peggy Lillis Foundation focuses on developing a broader public awareness. For instance, through its ‘See C Diff’ campaign initiated in 2018, it reached about 16 million Americans last year via newspaper articles, magazine features, interviews, podcasts, and strategic partnerships with organizations such Sepsis Alliance and the IDSA.
This year, the Foundation has a theme – ‘See C diff Prevented.’ Seven opportunities for preventing C diff have been identified, including consuming a microbiome supportive diet, ensuring accurate diagnosis, learning about C diff, taking proper precautions and using the correct antibiotics and recently FDA approved therapies for C diff. Collaboration with other organizations such as The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases is also underway to amplify the awareness efforts through blog posts, personal stories, interviews, and op-eds.
In addition to their internal advocacy for antibiotic stewardship in their respective institutions, pharmacists also have a significant role in forwarding efforts. They can enlighten fellow clinicians about narrow-spectrum antibiotic and anti-microbial alternatives, thereby alleviating the overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics, often leading to antibiotic resistance.