Journal of Gastrointestinal & Digestive System
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common cause of nosocomial diarrhea. People in the general community are not usually considered to be at risk of CDI. CDI is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Risk of severity is defined by the Clostridium Severity Index (CSI). Aim: Exploration of the CDI in community population by comparing with health care-acquired infection. Methods: We retrospectively describe 136 adult patients with CDI at the University Hospital of Tours, France between 2008 and 2012. Results: The patients included were 62 men and 74 women. The median age was 64.4 years (range, 18-97). Twenty-six of the 136 (19%) cases were community acquired (CA) and 110 (81%) were health care acquired (HCA). The major risk factors for both groups were: Long-term treatment with proton pump inhibitors (54% of CA, 53% of HCA patients) and antibiotic treatment within the 2.5 months preceding CDI (50% of CA, 91% of HCA). CSI was higher in CA-CDI (1.56) than in HCACDI (1.39). Intensive care was required for 8% of CA and 16.5% of HCA-CDI cases. Conclusions: CDI can cause community acquired diarrhea and such CA-CDI was more severe than HCA-CDI. Prospective studies of CDI involving people from the general community without risk factors are required to confirm this observation.

Biography

Email: m.ogielska@chu-tours.fr