Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the epidemiologic and treatment factors associated with recurrent C. difficile infection in children.
Methods: We conducted a 13-year retrospective review of pediatric C. difficile infections at our institution focusing on the epidemiologic, clinical, and treatment factors associated with recurrent disease. Repeat episodes occurring between 4 weeks and 2 months after initial infection were defined as early recurrences, whereas repeat episodes between 2 and 12 months after initial infection were defined as late recurrences.
Results: We identified 303 children with C. difficile infection. Recurrent infections were limited to children with chronic conditions, affecting 27.4% (68 of 248) of this cohort. Early and late recurrences occurred in 36.8 and 63.2% of children, respectively. Among children with a chronic condition, female sex and initial use of metronidazole (as opposed to vancomycin) were associated with recurrent disease in bivariate and multivariate analyses. Overall, there was a high treatment failure rate (34 of 102, 33.3%) once children had developed recurrent disease.
Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of underlying chronic conditions in the development of recurrent C. difficile disease and the shortcomings of current treatment options for recurrent cases. Additionally, our findings indicate that initial treatment selection may impact the likelihood of future disease, with metronidazole usage being associated with higher recurrence rates than vancomycin. These findings highlight the need for additional studies to better understand the implications of C. difficile treatment strategies.
Copyright © 2023 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.