ATLANTA: A new medical study presented in the US has revealed a troubling racial disparity in the fatality rates of a dangerous intestinal infection. According to the research, Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a bacterium that causes severe diarrhea, is proving to be significantly more lethal for white patients compared to Black or Hispanic individuals.
The stark findings were presented on Sunday at IDWeek, a major joint annual meeting of America’s top infectious disease professional societies.
Researchers reported that approximately 84% of all deaths attributed to this infection occurred among white people. This figure stands in sharp contrast to the mortality rates observed in Black patients (8%) and Hispanic patients (less than 6%).
The study also highlighted that the problem is predominantly an urban one, noting that 84% of the deaths from C. diff occurred in metropolitan areas.
