Thrombocytopenia in hospitalized patients with severe clostridium difficile infection.
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common cause of nosocomial diarrhea and colitis. The incidence and prognostic significance of thrombocytopenia as related to mode of acquisition (hospital vs. community), NAP1/027 strain, and disease severity has not been examined. We performed a single-institution retrospective analysis of all adult inpatients from 2013 to 2014 diagnosed with CDI during their hospitalization to document the incidence/prevalence of thrombocytopenia and associated outcomes. Severe disease was defined by a composite endpoint of inpatient death, death within 30 days of discharge, presence of septic shock, or need for colectomy during hospitalization. Of the 533 patients diagnosed with CDI, moderate thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100 × 109/L at time of CDI diagnosis) was present in 15 % of the total cohort and incident thrombocytopenia developed in 3 % of patients after admission. Thrombocytopenia was more common in hospital-acquired disease and associated with increased length of stay, but was not associated with treatment failure. Those with moderate thrombocytopenia were more likely to have severe disease, after controlling for white blood cell count, albumin, and creatinine. Moderate thrombocytopenia is associated with poor prognosis and is a potential risk stratification tool for severe CDI.
Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. eric.fountain@dm.duke.edu.
Eric M
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6780-5207
EM
Fountain
Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Maggie C
MC
Moses
Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.|Division of Infectious Disease, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Lawrence P
LP
Park
Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.|Division of Infectious Disease, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Christopher W
CW
Woods
Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.|Division of Hematology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Gowthami M
GM
Arepally
D000328:Adult; D016360:Clostridioides difficile; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003082:Colectomy; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012772:Shock, Septic; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000382:microbiology*
Clostridium difficile; Infection; NAP1/027; Sepsis; Thrombocytopenia