ABSTRACT
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients and results in substantial morbidity, mortality, and costs. Its clinical management, primarily with antibiotics, is often complicated by recurrent episodes. These recurrent CDI episodes are thought to be caused by antibiotic disruption of colonic microbiota and usually occur within 4 weeks of completing antibiotic therapy. The risk of recurrent CDI increases after the first episode, creating a need for management strategies to diagnose, treat, and prevent these complications.
- Copyright © 2020 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
- Constantine Tsigrelis, MD⇑
- Department of Infectious Disease, Cleveland Clinic; Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
- Address: Constantine Tsigrelis, MD, Department of Infectious Disease, G21, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; tsigrec{at}ccf.org
ABSTRACT
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients and results in substantial morbidity, mortality, and costs. Its clinical management, primarily with antibiotics, is often complicated by recurrent episodes. These recurrent CDI episodes are thought to be caused by antibiotic disruption of colonic microbiota and usually occur within 4 weeks of completing antibiotic therapy. The risk of recurrent CDI increases after the first episode, creating a need for management strategies to diagnose, treat, and prevent these complications.
- Copyright © 2020 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All Rights Reserved.