title: [Clostridium difficile infection: epidemiology, disease burden and therapy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  C. difficile causes 25 percent of the antibiotic associated infectious nosocomial diarrhoeas. C. difficile infection is a high-priority problem of public health in each country. The available literature of C. difficile infection's epidemiology and disease burden is limited.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Review of the epidemiology, including seasonality and the risk of recurrences, of the disease burden and of the therapy of C. difficile infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of the international and Hungarian literature in MEDLINE database using PubMed up to and including 20th of March, 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of nosocomial C. difficile associated diarrhoea is 4.1/10 000 patient day. The seasonality of C. difficile infection is unproved. 20 percent of the patients have recurrence after metronidazole or vancomycin treatment, and each recurrence increases the chance of a further one. The cost of C. difficile infection is between 130 and 500 thousand HUF (430 € and 1665 €) in Hungary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The importance of C. difficile infection in public health and the associated disease burden are significant. The available data in Hungary are limited, further studies in epidemiology and health economics are required.
authors.affiliation: Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem, Egészség-gazdaságtani és Egészségügyi Technológiaelemzési Kutatóközpont Közszolgálati Tanszék Budapest.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gulácsi
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kertész
authors.forename: Irén
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kopcsóné Németh
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Banai
authors.forename: Endre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prinz
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reményi
authors.forename: Bálint
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Strbák
authors.forename: Edit
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zsoldiné Urbán
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baji
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Péntek
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brodszky
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D016527:Drug Costs; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011634:Public Health; D012008:Recurrence; D012621:Seasons; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D008795:Metronidazole; D014640:Vancomycin