Enterocolitis due to Clostridium difficile is major emerging cause of death in the US. Between 1999 and 2012, C. diff. deaths rose by a staggering almost-10-fold increase, to 7,739 from 793. This paper has three goals. First, we present a demographic description of C. diff. mortality in the US since 1999. Second, we test a hypothesis that the increase in C. diff. deaths is due to population aging. We find that the emergence of this cause of death follows a proportional hazard pattern, above age 40. Thus, population aging is not the only factor responsible for the increase in C. diff. deaths. This, combined with a contributory cause of death analysis, points towards healthcare-based strategies to combat C. diff. Third, we demonstrate a simple weighted least squares technique for estimating Gompertz models that gives parameter estimates that are closer to full maximum likelihood, compared to conventional approaches.Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium, and a clinically-
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