Table 2.
Univariable risk factors for carriage of C. difficile at baseline sampling.
| Characteristic | C. difficile carriers (n = 40) | Non-carriers (n = 310) | Odds ratio | 95% C.I. | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male gender | 11/40 (28.9%) | 146/370 (39.5%) | 0.63 | 0.30–1.30 | 0.208 |
| Age, years (median (IQR)) | 86.1 (82.3–90.9) n = 38 |
86.1 (82.8–89.8) n = 370 |
1.02 | 0.97–1.08 | 0.527 |
| Waterlow score (median (IQR)) | 16 (14.0–20.0) n = 37 |
15.5 (12.0–19.0) n = 360 |
1.04 | 0.98–1.10 | 0.202 |
| MUST score (≥2) | 15/37 (40.5%) n = 37 |
61/352 (17.3) n = 352 |
3.25 | 1.60–6.63 | 0.001 |
| Barthel score (median (IQR)) | 10 (6.5–16.5) n = 36 |
13 (8.0–17.0) n = 364 |
0.94 | 0.89–1.00 | 0.036 |
| Charlson score (median (IQR)) | 5.5 (5.0–7.0) n = 40 |
6 (5.0–7.0) n = 369 |
1.08 | 0.92–1.27 | 0.351 |
| Admitted from residential care | 8/38 (21.1%) | 73/369 (19.8%) | 1.08 | 0.48–2.46 | 0.852 |
| Recent hospital stay (previous 3 months) | 17/35 (48.6%) | 87/322 (27.0%) | 2.55 | 1.26–5.17 | 0.009 |
| Previous CDI | 6/38 (15.8%) | 8/370 (2%) | 8.48 | 2.77–25.96 | <0.001 |
| Proton pump inhibitor prior to admission | 18/38 (47.4%) | 179/370 (48.4%) | 0.96 | 0.49–1.87 | 0.906 |
| Corticosteroids prior to admission | 2/38 (5.3%) | 40/370 (10.8%) | 0.46 | 0.11–1.98 | 0.295 |
| Antibiotics prior to admission | 5/38 (13.2%) | 62/370 (16.8%) | 0.75 | 0.28–2.00 | 0.570 |
| Diarrhoea | 9/36 (25.0%) | 77/365 (21.1%) | 1.25 | 0.56–2.76 | 0.587 |
Bold value signifies p-value <0.05.