A study, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, examined risk factors for community-associated Clostridium difficile infection in adults.
Researchers performed a case-control study with participants from 10 U.S. sites from October 2014 to March 2015. Researchers defined case patients as those older than 18 years, with a positive C. diff specimen collected as an outpatient or within three days of hospitalization, who had no admission to a healthcare facility in the prior 12 weeks and no prior C. diff diagnosis. Each case patient was matched to one control, a person without C. diff diagnosis.
Of 226 pairs, researchers found more case patients had prior outpatient healthcare and antibiotic exposures compared to controls.
The study shows the following are risk factors for community-associated C. diff infection:
● Antibiotic exposure, that is, cephalosporin, clindamycin, fluoroquinolone and beta-lactam and/or beta-lactamase inhibitor combination
● Emergency department visit
● White race
● Cardiac disease
● Chronic kidney disease
● Inflammatory bowel disease
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