Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Propensity Score–matched Veterans Health Administration Population
| Characteristic | CDI Group (n = 10970) |
Control Group (n = 10970) |
P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y, median (IQR) | 66 (59–77) | 66 (59–77) | .2604 |
| Male sex, % | 95.6 | 95.8 | .4241 |
| Race/ethnicity, % | .0010 | ||
| Non-Hispanic white | 65.4 | 66.7 | |
| Non-Hispanic black | 21.0 | 19.6 | |
| Hispanic | 6.0 | 5.6 | |
| Other | 4.3 | 5.2 | |
| Missing | 3.2 | 3.0 | |
| Prior hospitalization, % | 32.9 | 32.7 | .7957 |
| Comorbidities, % | |||
| Hypertension | 73.9 | 74.6 | .2228 |
| Dyslipidemia | 53.5 | 53.1 | .5426 |
| Obesity | 16.1 | 15.5 | .1765 |
| Myocardial infarction | 8.2 | 8.2 | .9021 |
| Congestive heart failure | 19.0 | 19.1 | .7570 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 15.1 | 15.0 | .7198 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 15.2 | 14.9 | .4851 |
| Dementia | 2.7 | 2.3 | .0929 |
| COPD | 33.7 | 34.8 | .0878 |
| Rheumatologic disease | 2.4 | 2.3 | .4734 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 3.8 | 3.9 | .6999 |
| Liver disease | 5.7 | 6.1 | .2173 |
| Diabetes | 36.0 | 36.1 | .8882 |
| Hemiplegia or paraplegia | 2.0 | 1.8 | .2369 |
| Renal disease | 19.8 | 20.0 | .7737 |
| Cancer | 25.6 | 26.6 | .1031 |
| HIV/AIDS | 1.7 | 1.8 | .4112 |
| GERD | 26.1 | 26.3 | .7588 |
| Transplant | 0.1 | 0.1 | .4129 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0000 |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | 1.1 | 1.0 | .2285 |
| Charlson score, median (IQR) | 3 (1–5) | 3 (1–5) | .0170 |
| Concomitant infections, % | |||
| Bacteremia | 3.0 | 2.6 | .0693 |
| Pneumonia | 17.1 | 17.6 | .3449 |
| Skin infection | 8.5 | 8.6 | .8471 |
| Intra-abdominal infection | 3.6 | 3.7 | .4713 |
| Device-related infection | 1.2 | 1.1 | .4072 |
| Acute respiratory infection | 2.7 | 2.9 | .3065 |
| Endocarditis | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.0000 |
| Urinary tract infection | 2.8 | 3.3 | .0296 |
| Medications, % | |||
| Prior antibiotics | 42.0 | 42.5 | .4440 |
| Prior GAS drugs | 45.8 | 45.7 | .8815 |
| Prior narcotics | 31.9 | 31.7 | .8505 |
Abbreviations: CDI, Clostridioides difficile; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GAS, gastric acid suppressant; GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IQR, interquartile range.