Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with Clostridium difficile infection and controls. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Controls (n=270) | Cases (n=30) | Total (n=300) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 152 (56) | 15 (50) | 167 (57) |
| Median (interquartile range) age (years) | 65 (54-78) | 68 (51-75) | 65 (54-78) |
| Ward type: | |||
| Medical | 165 (61) | 19 (63) | 184 (61) |
| Surgical | 105 (39) | 11 (37) | 116 (39) |
| Diarrhoea on day of detection round* | 16 (6) | 30 (100) | 46 (15) |
| Clinical characteristics: | |||
| No test done and no diarrhoea symptoms† | 235 (87) | 0 (0) | — |
| No infection, confirmed by negative test result*† | 35 (13) | 0 (0) | — |
| Infection, confirmed by diarrhoea and positive test result† | 0 (0) | 30 (100) | — |
| Treatment for >36 hours on day of detection round | 0 (0) | 3 (10) | — |
*All controls with diarrhoea on day of detection round underwent diagnostic testing for C difficile infection and are included in group with no infection and confirmed by negative test result.
†C difficile toxin enzyme immunoassay and culture done on stool sample in seven days before detection round.