Intest Res.  2018 Apr;16(2):267-272. 10.5217/ir.2018.16.2.267.

Is Clostridium difficile infection a real threat in patients with ulcerative colitis? A prospective, multicenter study in Korea

• Kim DB
• Lee KM
• Park SH
• Kim YS
• Kim ES
• Lee J
• Jung SA
• Seo GS
• Lee JM

• KMID: 2417678
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2018.16.2.267

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been reported to be a cause of flare-ups in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We evaluated the prevalence and clinical outcomes of CDI in patients with UC hospitalized for flare-ups.
METHODS
This was a prospective, multicenter study including 7 academic teaching hospitals in Korea. All consecutive patients with UC admitted for disease flare-up were enrolled. We detected the presence of CDI by using enzyme immunoassay, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for toxin genes, and sigmoidoscopy.
RESULTS
Eighty-one consecutive patients with UC were enrolled from January 2014 to December 2015. Among 81 patients, 8 (9.9%) were diagnosed with CDI. Most of the cases were identified by RT-PCR. Enzyme immunoassay was positive in 3 of 8 patients, and only 1 had typical endoscopic findings of pseudomembranous colitis. There were no differences in demographic data, length of hospital stay, or colectomy rate between patients with and without CDI.
CONCLUSIONS
CDI was not a rare cause of flare-up in patients with UC in Korea. However, CDI did not appear to affect the course of UC flare-up in Korean patients. RT-PCR was sensitive in detecting CDI and can be considered a diagnostic tool in patients with UC flare-up.

Keyword

Colitis, ulcerative; Clostridium infections; Prevalence; Polymerase chain reaction

MeSH Terms

Clostridium difficile*
Clostridium Infections
Clostridium*
Colectomy
Colitis, Ulcerative*
Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous
Hospitals, Teaching
Humans
Immunoenzyme Techniques
Korea*
Length of Stay
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
Prospective Studies*
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Sigmoidoscopy
Ulcer*

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