Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Relation To Clostridium Difficile Infection

ObjectiveDetect the rate of Clostridium difficile infection in patients of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and investigate the relationship between IBD and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). MethodsEighty IBD patients who were diagnosed in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from September2010to December2011were admitted as IBD group, including48Ulcerative Colitis (UC) patients and32Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. We collected their stool species and clinical characteristics such as diagnosis, disease activity, classification, anatomic location, treatment and so on. Forty-six healthy adults were admitted as control group1and forty-eight diarrheal patients of other bowel disorders as control group2. We detected C. difficile toxins A&B with fluorescent enzyme immunoassays (FEIA) and analyzed the relationship between clinical characteristics of IBD and CDI. ResultsThere were eight toxin-positive patients in IBD group and none in both control groups.The rate of CDI in IBD group was higher than that in both control groups(P<0.05). The prevalence of CDI was higher in active IBD patients than in remittent IBD patients (15.69%vs0, P=0.046). The incidence of CDI was higher in CD patients of colon involvement than in ones of noncolon involvement (33.33%vsO%, P=0.024). The rate was higher in severe CD patients than in mild ones (P=0.045). ConclusionThe rate of CDI in IBD patients is higher than that in healthy adults and patients of other bowel disorders. IBD patients with active disease and CD patients with colonic involvement or severe condition may be more likely to have CDI.