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Recently, the incidence of Clostridium difficile–associated disease (CDAD) has risen among hospitalized patients and people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, highly toxic strains of C. difficile have emerged, leading to increased morbidity and mortality (Journal Watch Gastroenterology Jan 3 2006). Risk factors for C. difficile infection include antibiotic use, hospitalization, immunosuppression, and IBD. Now, two retrospective observational studies shed additional light on the escalation of CDAD problems in patients with IBD.
In St. Louis, Missouri, researchers examined all admissions to a tertiary medical center from 1998 through 2004 and found that the incidence of C. difficile infection had increased among both IBD and n…