title: Risk factors for recurrence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in the elderly.
abstract: Risk factors that influence the recurrence of nosocomial Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) were determined in an 18-month follow-up study in a subacute geriatric department. A case-control study was conducted, comparing 43 patients with recurrent C. difficile-associated diarrhea (RCDAD) (case patients) with 38 patients who had only 1 episode of CDAD (control patients). The mean age of patients was 81.6 +/- 7.2 y (range 64-95 y). All cases with CDAD were receiving antibiotic therapy. RCDAD occurred in 53.1% of patients. Risk factors for RCDAD included fecal incontinence (p < or = 0.04), longer duration of fever from admission until first episode of CDAD (p < or = 0.02) and H2-antagonist treatment (p < or = 0.02). This study shows that RCDAD is a common clinical event in elderly hospitalized patients and may be predictable in some groups of patients.
authors.affiliation: Subacute Department, Harzfeld Geriatric Hospital, Kaplan Medical Center, Gedera, Israel. ysmg_tal@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tal
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gurevich
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guller
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gurevich
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011336:Probability; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors