A study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control examined predictors of Clostridium difficile infection among hospitalized patients.
Researchers examined 5,209 adult hospitalized patients who were tested for C. diff between May 1, 2011, and August 31, 2016. They evaluated proposed clinical and sociodemographic predictors using multivariable predictive logistic regression modeling.
Of the 5,209 examined patients, 1,092 were infected with C. diff. Researchers found the emergency department was the most common location for patients to receive a C. diff diagnosis. Additionally, previous exposure to statins, probiotics or high-risk antibiotics, were independently predictive of C. diff infection.
Researchers also found that using probiotics did not lessen the likelihood of C. diff in patients exposed to high-risk antibiotics. However, probiotics did lower the odds of infection in patients exposed to moderate-risk antibiotics.