Table 1.
Characteristics of 1380 Patients With Clostridium difficile Infection
| Variable | Value or No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Age | Median 71 y (interquartile range, 58–80) |
| Sex | |
| Female | 665 (48.2) |
| Male | 715 (51.8) |
| Charlson comorbidity index | |
| 0–3 | 747 (54.1) |
| 4–6 | 399 (28.9) |
| ≥7 | 234 (17.0) |
| Antimicrobial exposurea | 1201 (87.0) |
| Fluoroquinolones | 707 (51.0) |
| Cephalosporins | 694 (50.0) |
| Carboxy/ureidopenicillins | 274 (20.0) |
| Macrolides/clindamycin | 251 (18.0) |
| Antistaphylococcal/aminopenicillins | 225 (16.3) |
| Acid suppression agents | 917 (66.4) |
| PPI | 577 (42.0) |
| H2-RA | 191 (13.8) |
| PPI + H2-RA | 148 (10.7) |
| CDI diagnosis method | |
| Conventional toxins A+B EIA | 1001 (72.5) |
| GDH + toxin A detection | 239 (17.3) |
| Cytotoxicity assay | 83 (6.0) |
| Rapid toxins A+B EIA | 52 (3.8) |
| Endoscopy | 5 (0.4) |
| Origin of CDI | |
| Hospital onset-HCFA | 1126 (81.6) |
| Community onset-HCFA | 111 (8.0) |
| Community acquired | 143 (10.4) |
| CDI treatment | |
| Metronidazole (PO or IV) | 1119 (81.1) |
| Vancomycin | 110 (8.0) |
| Metronidazole and vancomycin | 90 (6.5) |
| None | 61 (4.4) |
| CDI outcomes (n = 1367) | |
| 30-day all-cause mortality | 169 (12.2) |
| CDI-associated 30-day mortality | 54 (4.0) |
| cCDIb | 108 (7.9) |
| cCDI-2c | 212 (15.5) |
| At least 1 recurrenced | 322 (23.6) |
Abbreviations: cCDI, complications of CDI; CDI, Clostridium difficile infection; EIA, enzyme immunoassay; GDH, glutamate dehydrogenase; H2-RA, histamine type-2 receptor antagonists; HCFA, healthcare facility–associated; IV, intravenous; PO, per os; PPI, proton pump inhibitor.
a Each patient could have received more than 1 class of antimicrobials within 2 months of enrollment.
b cCDI is defined as 1 or more of the following: admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) for complications associated with CDI, colonic perforation, toxic megacolon, colectomy or hemicolectomy, or CDI being the cause or contributed to death within 30 days after enrollment.
c cCDI-2 is defined as 1 or more of the following: admission to an ICU for any reason, colonic perforation, toxic megacolon, colectomy or hemicolectomy, or 30-day all-cause mortality.
d Recurrence was defined by the presence of diarrhea and C. difficile toxin or compatible endoscopy, or prescription of an empiric CDI treatment, at least 48 hours after the completion of the last CDI treatment.