C. difficile may be associated with worse outcomes in IBD patients

Jen MH. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2011;[Epub ahead of print April 20].

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease should be screened for Clostridium difficile on hospital admission to protect them from serious morbidity and mortality, according to a study published online.

Researchers from Imperial College London and St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust examined hospital statistics on patient admissions between 2002 and 2008. After adjusting for differences between the groups, the researchers found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who contract C. difficile in the hospital are six times more likely to die in the hospital than patients who are admitted for IBD alone.

The mortality rate for IBD patients with C. difficile at 30 days was 25% compared with 3% for patients with IBD alone.

The data also suggested that IBD patients with C. difficile also stay in the hospital for longer, with a median length of stay of 26 days compared with 5 days, and are almost twice as likely to need gastrointestinal surgery.

In a press release, Richard Pollok, PhD, of St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, who was a researcher on the study, said: “At St. George’s Hospital, we have seen a 70% reduction in hospital-acquired infections after implementing a range of control measures, such as careful hand washing and reduced use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. But we need to do more to protect vulnerable patients such as those with IBD.”

Disclosure: The research was supported by the National Institute for Health Research. Dr. Min-Hua Jen, the first author of the study, is supported by HERON Evidence Development Limited.

Follow the PediatricSuperSite.com on Twitter.