Opioid use worsens C. dif

A study presented at the World Congress of Gastroenterology found patients with Clostridium difficile who received opioids during their hospital stay had higher rates of complicated infection and in-hospital mortality and longer length of average hospital stay, compared with patients in the control group. The findings were based on medical records of 302 patients hospitalized

Native Americans Highest HCV Rates

Within the U.S., Native American populations have the highest incidence of acute hepatitis C (HCV) infection of any racial or ethnic group. They also have a significantly greater risk for HCV-related mortality than the general population and are an important group to target in efforts to eliminate the disease. According to the Centers for Disease

GERD symptoms tied to psychological factors

  A study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that people who did not get heartburn symptom relief from standard treatments but did not have detectable reflux tended to experience more distress and have a poorer quality of life, while symptoms for those with diagnosed gastroesophageal reflux disease who did not respond to proton

VA’s Hep C models could reduce disease burden

  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed models of care that can be used to reduce the overall burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. More than 92,000 veterans with HCV have been treated by the VA since January 2014. Their cure rates have exceeded 90 percent. Expansion of treatment capacity through