Alpesh Amin, MD: The Challenge of Treating C Difficile Infections

Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) on their own can be extremely difficult to treat, largely because the infectious disease disproportionally impacts patients more susceptible to illness, such as lower-income patients and older patients.

But when adding sepsis to this for hospitalized patients and it becomes an even greater challenge for clinicians to treat.

In data presented during the 2021 Digestive Disease Week Virtual Meeting, a team of researchers identified the cost of the co-infections, both from an economic standpoint and a mortality rate.

Overall, there was 487,489 patients with CDI included in the study, 41% (n = 203,888) of which also had concurrent sepsis.

The researchers found 57.7% of the patients with sepsis died, compared to 32.4% of patients without sepsis.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Alpesh N. Amin, MD, Chair of the Department of Medicine and Executive Director of the Hospitalist Program at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, explained the challenged behind treating this particular patient population.

Amin also said some of the mitigation measures put in place because of COVID-19 have had a positive impact on C difficile rates, with the hope hospitals in the future can continue to cut down on hospital acquired infections.