Older age , use of antibiotics after diagnosis , use of proton pump inhibitors , and strain type were the most frequent risk factors for recurrence .
Older age , leucocytosis , renal failure and co-morbidities were frequent risk factors for complicated CDI .
When considered alone , mortality was associated with age , co-morbidities , hypo-albuminemia , leucocytosis , acute renal failure , and infection with ribotype 027 .
BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile infection ( CDI ) can lead to complications , recurrence , and death .
Numerous studies have assessed risk factors for these unfavourable outcomes , but systematic review s or meta-analyses published so far were limited in scope or in quality .
Recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea: characteristics of and risk factors for patients enrolled in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial.
Recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea ( RCDD ) occurs in 20 % of patients after they have received st and ard antibiotic treatment with vancomycin or metronidazole , but the reasons for the recurrences are largely unknown . Patients receiving vancomycin or metronidazole for active C. difficile diarrhea ( CDD ) were referred to our study centers for treatment and a 2-month follow-up as part of a r and omized placebo-controlled trial . Sixty patients had RCDD ( median number of episodes , 3.0 ; range , 2 - 9 episodes ) and 64 were having their first episode of CDD . Patients with RCDD had more-severe abdominal pain and were more likely to have fever but initially responded well to antibiotic therapy . Data on sequential episodes showed no progression in disease severity . Five factors were associated with a higher risk of RCDD : the number of previous CDD episodes , onset of the initial disease in the spring , exposure to additional antibiotics for treatment of other infections , infection with immunoblot type 1 or 2 strains of C. difficile , and female gender . These factors may help to identify patients who are more likely to develop RCDD  and require careful medical supervision
Older age , use of antibiotics after diagnosis , use of proton pump inhibitors , and strain type were the most frequent risk factors for recurrence .
Older age , leucocytosis , renal failure and co-morbidities were frequent risk factors for complicated CDI .
When considered alone , mortality was associated with age , co-morbidities , hypo-albuminemia , leucocytosis , acute renal failure , and infection with ribotype 027 .
BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile infection ( CDI ) can lead to complications , recurrence , and death .
Numerous studies have assessed risk factors for these unfavourable outcomes , but systematic review s or meta-analyses published so far were limited in scope or in quality .