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CDI on the rise in pediatric patients
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The incidence of Clostridium difficileinfectionhas been trending upward in hospitalized pediatric patients in recent years and is often associated with greater morbidity, according to study findings published online.
Thomas J. Sferra, MD,chief of the pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition department at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, and colleagues used data collected from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database (HCUP-KID) between 2003 and 2009 to assess incidence of CDI.
Thomas J. Sferra
The researchers said, “In all pediatric patients, the incidence increased 57% from 20.0 to 31.5 CDI discharges per 10,000 discharges per year.” They added that the highest percent increases occurred in children aged 11 to 15 years, but the youngest age group — those aged 1 to 5 years — remained the highest incidence.
“Our results demonstrate that CDI in hospitalized children and adolescents is associated with an increasingly significant health care burden,” Sferra told Infectious Diseases in Children. “In addition to observing an increasing trend in the incidence of the infection and that those with the disease have greater morbidity, we found that hospitalized patients with CDI have higher hospital charges than those without the infection, even when we controlled for demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions.”
Sferra and colleagues said future studies should address the effect of community-associated CDI on the incidence and outcome of CDI in hospitalized children, and greater efforts must be given to the prevention and treatment in the pediatric population.
Disclosure: Sferra reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Thomas J. Sferra, MD, can be reached at the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, 11100 Euclid Ave., Suite 737, Cleveland, OH 44106.
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