Depression and Living Alone Increases Risk of Contracting Hospital Infection

Depressed hospital patients have been found to be at significantly increased risk of contracting the potentially fatal hospital-acquired infection Clostridium difficile.  Mary Rogers, Ph.D., M.S., research assistant professor in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, and colleagues found that adults with major depression were 36% more likely to be infected with Clostridium difficile than those without depression. Results also showed that adults who were widowed had a 54% greater risk than their married peers, and that those who lived with others had a 25% decreased risk compared to those who lived alone. The increased risk of infection in those who are widowed or living alone is believed to be due to the fact that such people are more likely to suffer from depression. The authors also found that people taking the antidepressant medications Remeron (mirtazapine) and Prozac (fluoxetine) – both of are known to cause gastrointestinal side effects – were twice as likely to test positive for Clostridium difficile. “We have long known that depression is associated with changes in the gastrointestinal system,” said Dr Rogers. “These findings will help us better identify those at risk of Clostridium difficile infection and hopefully encourage exploration of the underlying interactions between the brain and the gut.”