Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in a pediatric hospital.
This retrospective cohort analysis examined the risk factors, symptoms, and severity of disease associated with C. difficile in pediatric inpatients. Risk factors for a C. difficile-positive test were an oncologic diagnosis, diarrhea of more than 2 days' duration, and gastrointestinal symptoms, especially abdominal pain. Over a 3.5-year period, there was a total of 22 C. difficile-positive patients, and most had mild, self-limiting diarrheal illness. No cases of C. difficile diarrhea were identified. Seventy-eight percent of the C. difficile-positive patients were found to have alternate risk factors for diarrhea. Our data indicate that C. difficile rarely causes severe diarrhea in pediatric inpatients and that C. difficile testing should be limited to patients with severe prolonged diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Spivack
Jordan G
JG
Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Eppes
Stephen C
SC
Klein
Joel D
JD
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016360:Clostridioides difficile; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents