Immunosuppression and Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Infection Risk in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patients
Elisa Morales-Marroquin, Luyu Xie, Meghana Uppuluri, Jaime P. Almandoz, Nestor de la Cruz-Muñoz, Sarah E. Messiah
- C. diff is a serious bacterial infection that can cause severe diarrhea and dangerous colon inflammation. This study found patients on immunosuppressive medications face higher C. diff risk after bariatric surgery.
- More patients on immunosuppressive medications are being referred for bariatric surgery, including transplant candidates and those with autoimmune conditions.
- Published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, one of the most respected surgical journals in the world.
- Prevention strategies include careful antibiotic selection and close symptom monitoring in the weeks following surgery.
- This is part of a broader body of work demonstrating expertise in medically complex and immunosuppressed patients, including bridge-to-transplant and dialysis patient studies.
- For immunosuppressed patients considering bariatric surgery, this provides reassurance that risks have been specifically studied.
This study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons examined whether immunosuppression is an independent risk factor for Clostridioides difficile infection among patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery. CDI is a potentially life-threatening healthcare-associated infection. Patients undergoing bariatric surgery may be at increased risk due to perioperative antibiotic exposure, gut microbiota alterations from surgical anatomy changes, and comorbidities compromising immune function. Dr. de la Cruz-Muñoz is a co-author.
Morales-Marroquin E, Xie L, Uppuluri M, Almandoz JP, de la Cruz-Muñoz N, Messiah SE. Immunosuppression and Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Infection Risk in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patients. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2021;233(2):223-231. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2021.04.028.
