Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the incidence, severity and mortality of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) have been increasing, patients’ quality of life changes resulting from CDI have not been studied thoroughly. This study aimed at exploring the consequences of CDI on quality of life through patients’ perspective.MethodsAn observational, cross-sectional study involving 350 participants with a self-reported CDI diagnosis was conducted through an online self-administered survey. Participants were grouped into those who had active disease (“Current CDI”) and those who had a history of CDI (“Past CDI”).ResultsOne hundred fifteen participants (33%) reported Current CDI and 235 (67%) reported Past CDI. A large majority of participants admitted that their daily activities were impacted by the infection (93.9% and 64.7% of Current and Past CDI respondents respectively, p < 0.05). Physical and psychological consequences of CDI were experienced by 63.5% and 66.1% of participants with active CDI. Despite the infection being cleared, these consequences were still frequently experienced in Past CDI cohort with similar rates (reported by 73.2% of respondents for both, physical consequences p = 0.08; psychological consequences p = 0.21). After the infection, 56.6% of respondents noted that post-CDI symptoms remained; 40.9% believed they would never get rid of them.ConclusionsWhile the societal burden of CDI is well described in the literature, our study is one of the first aimed at understanding the major burden of CDI on quality of life. Our results highlight the long-lasting nature of CDI and further reinforce the need for enhanced therapeutics in the prevention and treatment of this devastating infection.
Highlights
The incidence, severity and mortality of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) have been increasing, patients’ quality of life changes resulting from C. difficile infection (CDI) have not been studied thoroughly
We offer a more precise view on key aspects to address in future Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) research to better take into account the specificities of CDI as some prior research was conducted with generic questionnaires
Our results revealed that Current and Past CDI had a negative impact on those with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Summary
Severity and mortality of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) have been increasing, patients’ quality of life changes resulting from CDI have not been studied thoroughly. This study aimed at exploring the consequences of CDI on quality of life through patients’ perspective. The incidence, severity and mortality of C. difficile infection (CDI) have been increasing since 2000 in the US and the European Union with a steady rise over the last decade [4,5,6,7]. In 2011, there were an estimated 453,000 cases in. CDI can be devastating, with an estimated 30-day. Most studies of CDI focus on clinical outcomes including resolution of diarrhea, recurrence and mortality [13]; additional patient-centered outcomes need to be explored to optimally care for those suffering from this infection
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