Hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in acute medical wards

BACKGROUND: Clostridum difficile (C. difficile) infection is increasingly seen among hospitalised patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus but its rate and associated risk factors are not known. We aimed to determine the rate and characteristics of hospital-acquired C. difficile infection in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted into acute medical wards. METHODS: Our prospective cross-sectional study involved 159 patients with established type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted into acute medical wards who developed a hospital-acquired C. difficile infection. Stools were tested for C. difficile toxins using a toxin A/B kit and a toxin A kit. Clinical features, laboratory findings, types of antibiotics, and use of a proton pump inhibitor were examined for their association with the infection. RESULTS: Thirteen subjects were positive for toxin A and one for toxin B. Using univariable analysis, we found that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hospital acquired C. difficile infection were younger (mean 53.8 years, p=0.02), had diarrhoea and abdominal pain (p=0.001) but no fever. Sepsis (p=0.02) and use of a proton pump inhibitor (p=0.01) were more commonly implicated as the cause of the infection. Of the various types of antibiotics prescribed, carbapenem (28.6% vs 4.1%, p=0.01) and metronidazole (42.9% vs 19.3%, p=0.04) were significantly associated with hospital acquired C. difficile infection. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted into acute medical wards and who developed hospital-acquired C. difficile infection have distinct characteristics.