Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection.
| Patient characteristics | Value or No. (%, N = 307) |
|---|---|
| Age | 56.77 ± 20.21 |
| Gender | |
| Male | 217 (70.7) |
| Female | 90 (29.3) |
| Area | |
| Rural | 152 (49.5) |
| Urban | 155 (50.5) |
| Smoke | 86 (28.0) |
| Alcohol intake | 69 (22.5) |
| Medication exposures prior to developing CDI a | |
| Proton pump inhibitor | 203 (66.1) |
| Chemotherapy | 58 (18.9) |
| Use of any antibiotic not directed at CDI | 257 (83.7) |
| Fluoroquinolones | 100 (32.6) |
| β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations | 91 (29.6) |
| Cephalosporin | 154 (50.2) |
| Carbapenem | 79 (25.7) |
| Aminoglycoside | 10 (3.3) |
| Glycopeptides | 41 (13.4) |
| Macrolide | 5 (1.6) |
| Co-trimoxazole | 24 (7.8) |
| Other antibiotics | 23 (7.5) |
| Antifungal agent | 61(19.5) |
| Charlson comorbidity index score, median (IQR) | 2 (1–3) |
| Myocardial infarction | 1 (0.3) |
| Congestive heart failure | 6 (2.0) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 18 (5.8) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 23 (7.5) |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 5 (1.6) |
| Connective tissue disease | 9 (2.9) |
| Diabetes | 51 (16.3) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 40 (13.0) |
| Dementia | 5 (1.6) |
| Leukemia | 52 (16.9) |
| Malignant lymphoma | 10 (3.3) |
| Solid tumor | 74 (24.1) |
| Liver disease | 79 (25.7) |
| AIDS | 6 (1.0) |
| Prior hospitalization | 215 (70.0) |
| Length of hospital stay, days, median (IQR) | 30 (18–61) |
| Length of hospital stay before CDI, days, median (IQR) | 14 (6–29) |
| Length of hospital stay after CDI, days, median (IQR) | 14 (7–31) |
| Surgery prior to developing CDI | 63 (20.5) |
| Abdominal surgery prior to developing CDI | 41 (13.4) |
| Mechanical ventilation prior to developing CDI | 43 (14.0) |
| Intensive care unit admission prior to developing CDI | 49 (16.0) |
| Ward of admission at onset of CDI | |
| Medical unit | 43 (14.0) |
| Surgical unit | 144 (46.9) |
| Intensive care unit | 58 (18.9) |
| Haemato-oncological unit | 22 (2.2) |
| Geriatric unit | 40 (16.0) |
| Any infection concomitant to CDI | 116 (37.8) |
| Bloodstream infection concomitant to CDI | 21 (6.8) |
| Pulmonary infection concomitant to CDI | 86 (27.7) |
| Other infection concomitant to CDIb | 23 (7.5) |
| Fever >38·5 °C | 90 (29.3) |
| Leukocyte (cells × 109/L), median (IQR) | 7.1 (4.0–10.7) |
| Haemoglobin (g/dL), median (IQR) | 99 (79–116) |
| Platelet (109/L), median (IQR) | 158 (76–243) |
| Albumin (g/dL), median (IQR) | 33.1 (29.0–37.9) |
| Creatinine (μmol/L), median (IQR) | 58 (44–79) |
| Alanine transferase (u/L), median (IQR) | 22 (13–45) |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L), median (IQR) | 28.7 (10.7–68.1) |
| Therapeutic management | |
| No therapy | 56 (17.9) |
| Symptomatic treatment | 142 (46.3) |
| Vancomycin (oral) | 42 (13.4) |
| Metronidazole (intravenous or oral) | 54 (17.6) |
| Vancomycin (oral) and metronidazole (intravenous or oral) | 15 (4.9) |
| Outcome of CDI | |
| Intensive care unit admission | 12 (3.9) |
| Recurrence within 54 days | 13 (4.2) |
| Development of severe CDI | 66 (21.5) |
| 30-day all-cause mortality | 32 (10.4) |
Interquartile range (IQR); Clostridium difficile infection(CDI); aPrior was defined as within two months before the diagnosis of CDI; bAbdominal infection = 12; urinary tract = 4; upper respiratory tract = 2; surgical site = 3; intracranial infection = 2.