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A Retrospective Analysis of Risk Factors and Therapeutic Outcomes for Clostridium difficile Infection

Purpose To determine the Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) recurrence rate at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Fargo, North Dakota, and to determine whether certain variables (eg, type of antibiotic, medication, chronic disease state, CDI symptom control) were predictive of CDI recurrence. Methods Demographic information and laboratory data from 174 adult outpatients and inpatients were collected from electronic medical records between January 1997 and September 2009. In addition, information about the duration of non-CDI antibiotic therapy and the use of proton pump inhibitors, histamine H2 blockers, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressive medications within 60 days of CDI was collected. Information regarding comorbid conditions (eg, cancer, liver or renal disease, diabetes, chronic heart failure) in patients at the time of CDI was also collected. Results Patients below the median age of 69.5 years were more likely to continue to have diarrhea after CDI treatment than patients who were older than the median age (relative risk 1.86; 95% CI, 1.06-3.26). No association was observed between previous non-CDI treatment antibiotic use, other medication use, or comorbid conditions and the recurrence of CDI. Conclusion CDI recurrence rate at VAMC was 14%. No statistically significant association could be made between recurrence of CDI and antibiotic or medication used within 60 days of infection or with chronic disease states at the time of CDI infection. Patients younger than 69.5 years were more likely to continue to have diarrhea after CDI treatment.