Research Article
Indications and Relative Utility of Lower Endoscopy in the Management of Clostridium difficile Infection
Table 1
Patients demographics, comorbidities, risk factors, and clinical presentation.
| | All patients () | Recurrent disease () | Primary disease () |
| | Sex, M/F | 20/23 | 6/10 | 14/13 | | Age, mean, y | 59 | 62 | 58 | | Length of stay, d | 12 | 14 | 11 |
| | Comorbidities | | | | | Cardiac disease | 28 (65%) | 12 (75%) | 16 (59%) | | Immunosuppression | 24 (56%) | 11 (69%) | 13 (48%) | | Steroids | 21 (49%) | 11 (69%) | 10 (37%) | | Cancer | 13 (30%) | 7 (44%) | 6 (22%) | | Transplant | 12 (28%) | 6 (38%) | 6 (22%) | | Pulmonary disease | 17 (40%) | 6 (38%) | 11 (41%) | | Diabetes | 11 (26%) | 7 (44%) | 4 (15%) | | Chronic renal failure | 11 (26%) | 5 (31%) | 6 (22%) |
| | Risk factors | | | | | Antibiotic exposure | 39 (91%) | 13 (81%) | 26 (96%) | | Current/recent hosp. | 36 (84%) | 16 (100%) | 20 (74%) | | Age >65 | 17 (40%) | 6 (38%) | 11 (41%) | | Recent surgery | 15 (35%) | 3 (19%) | 12 (44%) |
| | Presentation | | | | | Community* | 36 (84%) | 15 (94%) | 21 (78%) | | Hospital* | 7 (16%) | 1 (6%) | 6 (22%) | | Ileus, distended abdomen | 1 (2%) | 1 (6%) | — | | Diarrhea | 42 (98%) | 15 (94%) | 27 (100%) | | Presence of fever | 18 (42%) | 4 (25%) | 14 (52%) | | Septic shock | 7 (16%) | 3 (19%) | 4 (15%) | | ICU admission | 8 (19%) | 3 (19%) | 5 (19%) | | WBC >11.0 or <4.0 | 29 (67%) | 10 (63%) | 19 (70%) | | Albumin <3.2 | 20 (47%) | 9 (56%) | 11 (41%) |
|
|
*Onset of CDI: in the community, or in the hospital while inpatient.
|
