Global trends in Clostridioides difficile infection-related mortality, 2001-2023: An observational study

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major public health concern, particularly in aging populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate global trends in CDI-related mortality to inform sustainable and cost-effective management strategies.

We conducted an observational study using mortality data from the World Health Organization (WHO) database spanning 2001 to 2023. Sixty-three countries with satisfactory data quality and at least 12 years of data between 2001 and 2023 were included. Crude and age-standardized CDI-related mortality rates per 1,000,000 individuals were calculated after stratification by age, sex, WHO region, and sociodemographic index (SDI). Global trends were analyzed using locally weighted regression.

The global age-standardized CDI-related mortality rate was 0.76 per 1,000,000 individuals in 2001, peaked at 4.08 in 2010, and declined to 2.44 in 2023. The most notable downward trends were observed in the Americas and high-SDI countries. These improvements may reflect the impact of multidisciplinary efforts in CDI prevention and management.

Although CDI-related mortality has declined globally over the past decade, the disease remains a significant threat, especially in older populations. Ongoing global efforts are essential to further reduce CDI-related deaths.