Highlights
- •We described Clostridium difficile infections by U.S. regions and seasons.
- •We compared Clostridium difficile infection mortality by region and season.
- •Clostridium difficile infection incidence rates were highest in the Northeast and spring.
- •Clostridium difficile infection mortality rates were highest in the Midwest and winter.
Background
This study identified national regional and seasonal variations in Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) incidence and mortality among hospitalized patients in the United
States over a 10-year period.
Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study of the U.S. National Hospital Discharge Survey
from 2001-2010. Eligible cases had an ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis code for CDI (008.45).
Data weights were used to derive national estimates. CDI incidence and mortality were
presented descriptively. Regions were as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Seasons
included the following: winter (December-February), spring (March-May), summer (June-August),
and fall (September-November).
Results
These data represent 2.3 million CDI discharges. Overall, CDI incidence was highest
in the Northeast (8.0 CDIs/1,000 discharges) and spring (6.2 CDIs/1,000 discharges).
CDI incidence was lowest in the West (4.8 CDIs/1,000 discharges) and fall (5.6 CDIs/1,000
discharges). Peak CDI incidence among children occurred in the West (1.7 CDI/1,000
discharges) and winter (1.5 CDI/1,000 discharges). Mortality among all CDI patients
was highest in the Midwest (7.3%) and during the winter (7.9%).
Conclusion
The region and season with the highest CDI incidence rates among patients hospitalized
in U.S. hospitals were the Northeast and spring, respectively. The highest CDI mortality
rates were seen in the Midwest and winter. Children exhibited different regional and
seasonal CDI variations compared with adults and older adults.
Key Words
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Article info
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
