Microorganisms
Epidemiology and Predictors of 90-Day Mortality in Patients with Clostridioides difficile Infection: A Retrospective Single-Center Study from Galati, Romania
By Pantelie Nicolcescu, Gabriel-Valeriu Popa, Madălina Nicoleta Matei and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, but data on 90-day mortality after hospitalization from Romania remain limited. This study characterized hospitalized patients with CDI at a regional infectious diseases hospital in south-eastern Romania and evaluated factors associated with 90-day all-cause mortality.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective observational study of adults with laboratory-confirmed CDI admitted to Infectious Diseases Clinical Department I between 1 January and 31 December 2024. The date of hospital admission for the index CDI episode was defined as time zero for the 90-day follow-up. Clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, and treatment variables were analyzed; ATLAS components were assessed at CDI diagnosis, while urinary-catheter (UC) exposure was analyzed separately because the source records did not reliably establish whether catheter placement preceded or followed CDI diagnosis in every patient. Associations with 90-day all-cause mortality were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.