Outcomes of Clostridium difficile-suspected diarrhea in a French university hospital

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) produces a variety of clinical presentations ranging from mild diarrhea to severe infection with fulminant colitis, septic shock, and death. CDI puts a heavy burden on healthcare systems due to increased morbidity and mortality, and higher costs. We evaluated the clinical impact of CDI in terms of complications and mortality in a French university hospital compared with patients with diarrhea unrelated to CDI. A 3-year prospective, observational, cohort study was conducted in a French university hospital. Inpatients aged 18 years or older with CDI-suspected diarrhea were eligible to participate in the study and were followed for up to 60 days after CDI testing. Among the 945 patients with diarrhea included, 233 had confirmed CDI. Overall, 106 patients (11.2%) developed at least one of the following complications: colectomy, colitis, ileitis/rectitis, ileus, intestinal perforation, megacolon, multiorgan failure, pancolitis, peritonitis, pseudomembranous colitis, renal failure, and sepsis/septic shock. The complication rate was significantly higher in patients with diarrhea related to C. difficile than in non-CDI patients (26.6% vs 6.2%, P < 0.001). At day 60, 137 (14.5%) patients had died, with 37 deaths among the CDI group (15.9%). Death was attributable to CDI in 15 patients (6.4%). Complications are more frequent among CDI cases than in patients with diarrhea not related to C. difficile. Assessment of CDI is necessary to ensure allocation of sufficient resources to CDI prevention.