An increase in Clostridium difficile infection incidence has been associated with poor outcomes among hospitalized children, including increased risk of death, according to a recent study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
To identify risk factors for all-cause in-hospital mortality among children with CDI, researchers evaluated a cohort of more than 7,300 children with CDI hospitalized at 41 freestanding children's hospitals between Jan. 1, 2006, and Aug. 31, 2011.
They used a multivariable logistic regression model to evaluate risk factors for all-cause in-hospital mortality within 30 days of conducting a C. diff test on the patients and identified the following six independent risk factors for death:
1. Older age
2. Underlying malignancy
3. Cardiovascular disease
4. Hematologic/immunologic condition
5. Gastric acid suppression; and
6. The presence of more than one marker of severity of illness
"Patients with select chronic conditions and more severe disease are at increased risk of death," concluded the study authors. "Identifying risk factors for in-hospital mortality can help detect subpopulations of children that may benefit from targeted CDI prevention and treatment strategies."
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