Probiotics - The Hype Is Real

The Gupta Guide is a webpage on the MedpageToday.com website that provides summarizations of public health concerns and interesting medical news. A recent update detailed the results of a review performed by the Cochrane Collaboration which found that prophylactic probiotic usage is a "cheap, safe and effective way to prevent Clostridium difficile [C. Diff] associated diarrhea."

In fact, C. Diff was prevented in 64% of cases compared with patients given a placebo or no treatment. This represents a wonderful step forward in the fight against this deadly pathogen which causes untold hundreds of millions of dollars in treatment costs. In truth, "the cost [for probiotic prophylaxis] is generally low, about $15 to $40 for a month supply online. In contrast, the estimated cost of treating primary C. difficile infections ranges from $2,871 to $4,846 per case in the U.S. Recurrent cases run $13,655 to $18,067."

Clostridium difficile is an intestinal bacteria that is normal in the human gut, but only normal in certain ratios to other bacteria. In patients who need to be treated with antibiotics while in the hospital, this intestinal balance can be affected negatively, resulting of a mass killing of the beneficial bacteria. The death of "good bacteria" leads to increased colonization of the C. Diff. bacteria. When this occurs, treatment becomes extremely difficult and in cases can lead to the death of the affected patient.