Risk Factors Associated With Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Gastroenterology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) poses a significant healthcare burden in the United States, with annual costs up to $20,000.
• Previous research identified several risk factors for recurrent CDI.
• This study investigated additional potential risk factors, including partial colectomy history, chemotherapy, and intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors associated with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
• To evaluate the impact of advanced age, partial colectomy, chemotherapy, and ICU hospitalization on CDI recurrence.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective chart review was conducted on 435 outpatients and inpatients.
• Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon ranks sums test were used for frequency and continuous data comparison, respectively.
• Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine risk factors for recurrent CDI, with significance set at P < 0.05.

Main Results:

• Advanced age was significantly associated with increased odds of recurrent CDI (OR = 1.023, P < 0.05).
• Patients with a history of partial colectomy had 3.2 times higher odds of recurrent CDI (OR = 3.168, P < 0.05).
• Chemotherapy use and ICU hospitalization did not show a significant association with higher recurrent CDI rates (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Advanced age and a history of partial colectomy are significant risk factors for recurrent CDI.
• Chemotherapy use and ICU hospitalization were not found to be associated with increased rates of recurrent CDI in this cohort, contrary to some previous findings.