Clostridium difficile infection history and symptoms
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
In adults, a clinical prediction rule found the best signs are[1] significant diarrhea ("new onset of > 3 partially formed or watery stools per 24 hour period"), exposure of antibiotics, abdominal pain, and foul stool odor.
The presence of any one of these findings has a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 45%.[1] In a study on hospitalized patients with a prevalence of positive cytotoxin assays of 14%, the positive predictive value was 20% and the negative predictive value was 95%.
History and Symptoms
Clinical manifestations can be quite variable. Some patients are asymptomatic, and others can present critically ill with toxic megacolon.
- Up to 2/3 of infected hospitalized patients are asymptomatic, but shed organisms and contaminate their environment. These patients are called C. Diff fecal excretors. These patients can be treated with vancomycin or metronidazole, but the bug is often not eradicated in these patients.
- The reason for the variability is not clear and is not accounted for by strain differences. Host factors are probably important, such as the presence of antitoxin antibodies and colonic toxin receptors.
- Risk factors for severe colitis include malignancy, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), immunosuppression, renal failure, exposure to anti-peristaltic meds and clindamycin.
- Onset is usually during or shortly after a course of antibiotics. Cases rarely occur even a month after a course of antibiotics. Rarely patients have no recent history of antibiotics.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea with C. diff infection without colitis may present as:
- Acute, foul-smelling watery diarrhea, with a mean of 3-4 stools a day.
- Lower abdominal pain, sometimes crampy
- Low-grade fever
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea with C. diff infection with colitis but without pseudomembrane development may present as:
- Profuse, watery diarrhea of 5-15 bowel movements daily
- Fever
- Malaise
- Anorexia
- Lower quadrant abdominal pain and cramps, relieved by the passage of diarrhea.
- Nausea
- Dehydration
- Leucocytosis
- Fecal leucocytes present in >50%. Occult bleeding not uncommon.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea with C. diff infection with colitis and pseudomembrane development presents with prominent signs and symptoms as described above and sometimes:
- Rarely patients will develop indolent, subacute pseudomembranous colitis with a protein-losing state due to the diffuse pancolitis. Patients may have severe hypoalbuminemia, ascites, peripheral edema, and their only signs/symptoms may be low-grade fever, anorexia and abdominal discomfort.
Fulminant colitis is an uncommon complication that occurs in 2-3% of patients with C. Diff, and can results in perforation, prolonged ileus, megacolon, and death. Patients may present with:
- Severe abdominal pain and distension
- Severe diarrhea; diarrhea may be absent in patients with ileus
- Fever, chills
- Lethargy
- Tachycardia