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The following is a summary of “Clostridioides difficile infection, recurrence and the associated healthcare consumption in Sweden between 2006 and 2019: a population-based cohort study,” published in the May 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Boven et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating how factors like age, sex, underlying health conditions, and community vs. hospital acquisition influence the impact of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI).
They analyzed 43,150 individuals with CDI against 355,172 matched controls from the first year and throughout the follow-up (Sweden, 2006 to 2019). Using negative binomial regression models, the length of hospital stays, inpatient admissions, outpatient visits, and prescriptions were all compared after the initial CDI episode, presenting results as IRR with 95% CI for the entire follow-up period.
The results showed that 91.6% cases of CDI were acquired, with 16.8% experiencing recurrence(s); 74.8% were aged 65 or older, and 54.2% were female. In comparison to individuals without CDI, rates of in-hospital stays were 18.01 times higher after CDI (95% CI 17.40–18.63, first-year: 27.4 versus 1.6 days), in-hospital admissions were 9.45 times higher (95% CI 9.16–9.76, first-year: 2.6 vs. 1.3 hospitalizations), outpatient visits were 3.94 times higher (95% CI 3.84–4.05, first-year: 4.0 vs. 1.9 visits), and dispensed prescriptions rates were 3.39 times higher (95% CI 3.31–3.48, first-year: 25.5 vs. 13.7 prescriptions). Relative risks for all outcomes were higher among those younger than 65 years than those aged 65 years or older and in individuals with fewer comorbidities but similar between genders. Individuals with recurrence had a notably higher rate of hospital admissions (IRR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.12–1.24) than those without recurrence. Hospital-acquired CDI cases had significantly higher rates of hospital admissions (IRR = 7.29, 95% CI 6.68–7.96) and longer lengths of stay (IRR = 7.64, 95% CI 7.07–8.26) compared to community-acquired CDI cases.
Investigators found that hospital-acquired older adults with CDI and multiple health conditions carried the most significant burden, although younger and healthier individuals with CDI also experienced a considerable impact.
Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-09364-3