| Variable | Severe or severe complicated CDI (n = 149) | Non-severe CDI (n = 155) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 74.0+15.0 | 65.9+18.3 | < 0.0001 |
| Sex, male | 70 (47.0) | 70 (45.2) | 0.7505 |
| Hospital-associated | 100 (67.1) | 94 (60.7) | 0.2411 |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 2.4+1.7 | 2.5+1.8 | 0.6365 |
| Associated disease | |||
| Biliary tract disease | 5 (3.4) | 7 (4.5) | 0.6047 |
| Cancer | 32 (21.5) | 47 (30.3) | 0.0799 |
| Pneumonia | 33 (22.2) | 14 (9.0) | 0.0021 |
| Heart failure | 10 (6.7) | 2 (1.3) | 0.0295 |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 6 (4.0) | 2 (1.3) | 0.1574 |
| Chronic renal disease | 29 (19.5) | 27 (17.4) | 0.6460 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 28 (18.8) | 20 (13.0) | 0.1613 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 12 (8.1) | 17 (11.0) | 0.3890 |
| Alcohol disorder | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.7) | 0.9776 |
| Atherosclerosis | 3 (2.0) | 4 (2.6) | 0.7423 |
| Esophageal disorder | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0.9856 |
| Nutrition deficiency | 6 (4.0) | 1 (0.7) | 0.0859 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 1 (0.7) | 5 (3.2) | 0.1474 |
| Gastric ulcer | 2 (1.3) | 1 (0.7) | 0.5477 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 1 (0.7) | 3 (1.9) | 0.3556 |
| History of antimicrobial use | |||
| Any | 137 (92.0) | 135 (87.1) | 0.1720 |
| Penicillin | 39 (26.2) | 24 (15.5) | 0.0228 |
| Narrow-spectrum cephalosporin | 10 (6.7) | 23 (14.8) | 0.0262 |
| Extended-spectrum cephalosporin | 40 (26.9) | 48 (31.0) | 0.4285 |
| Inhibitor-combination | 23 (15.4) | 22 (14.2) | 0.7604 |
| Carbapenem | 36 (24.2) | 21 (13.6) | 0.0191 |
| Fluoroquinolone | 37 (24.8) | 27 (17.4) | 0.1145 |
| Teicoplanin | 19 (12.8) | 8 (5.2) | 0.0243 |
| History of PPI use | 10 (6.7) | 16 (10.3) | 0.2638 |
| History of chemotherapy | 13 (8.7) | 13 (8.4) | 0.9162 |
| Treatment | |||
| Antimicrobial stop | 78 (52.4) | 80 (51.6) | 0.8978 |
| Metronidazole | 26 (17.5) | 17 (11.0) | 0.1077 |
| Vancomycin | 54 (36.2) | 44 (28.4) | 0.1437 |
| Prognosis | |||
| Recovery | 118 (79.2) | 145 (93.6) | 0.0005 |
| Recurrence | 6 (4.0) | 10 (6.5) | 0.3482 |
| CDI-related mortality | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.7) | 0.9776 |
| Crude mortality | 26 (17.5) | 7 (4.5) | 0.0007 |
| History of CDI | 2 (1.3) | 2 (1.3) | 0.9683 |
| C. difficile toxin | |||
| A+B+CDT+ | 5 (3.4) | 12 (7.7) | 0.1057 |
| B only | 11 (7.4) | 6 (3.9) | 0.1901 |
| A+B+CDT- | 133 (89.3) | 137 (88.4) | 0.8091 |
| C. difficile ribotype | |||
| AB24 (ST129) | 5 (3.4) | 4 (2.6) | 0.6919 |
| AB25 (ST102) | 4 (2.7) | 7 (4.5) | 0.3978 |
| Ribotype 001 | 4 (2.7) | 12 (7.7) | 0.0590 |
| Ribotype 002 | 16 (10.7) | 6 (3.9) | 0.0265 |
| Ribotype 012 | 4 (2.7) | 10 (6.5) | 0.1290 |
| Ribotype 014/020 | 20 (13.4) | 28 (18.1) | 0.2687 |
| Ribotype 017 | 8 (5.4) | 4 (2.6) | 0.2219 |
| Ribotype 018 | 42 (28.2) | 24 (15.5) | 0.0080 |
| Ribotype 046 | 5 (3.4) | 5 (3.2) | 0.9494 |
| Ribotype 070 | 2 (1.3) | 5 (3.2) | 0.2891 |
| Ribotype 106 | 10 (6.7) | 9 (5.8) | 0.7448 |
| Others* | 29 (19.5) | 41 (26.5) | 0.1492 |
Data in number (%) except for age, Charlson comorbidity index, and laboratory findings, which were in mean + standard deviation. Bold formatting indicates statistical significance. *Other included AB11, AB16, AB21, AB27, AB28, AB37, AB43, AB46, AB47, AB48, AB67, AB68, AB76, AB79, AB84, AB89, AB90, AB91, C14, C29, C32, R005, R023, R027, R078, R103, R122, R126, R137, R159, R161, R163, R267, and R369. Abbreviations: CDI, C. difficile infection; PPI, proton pump inhibitor; ST, sequence type.