Table 4.

CDAD severe disease

Patient characteristics

Older patients (> 65 yr)

Presence of comorbid conditions

Immune compromising conditions

Systemic immune response syndrome

Organ failure

Renal

Respiratory

Hypotension

Laboratory markers

Marked leukocytosis > 15 000

Renal failure Cr > 2.3 mg/L

Hypoalbuminemia

Extent of disease

Pancolitis by imaging modalities

Complications

Ileus

Toxic megacolon

Intestinal perforation

Any one of the above calls for classification as ‘severe disease’, using the authors’ approach