• A D Leonard, K M Ho, and J Flexman.
• Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK. antonleonard@doctors.org.uk
• Intern Med J. 2012 May 1; 42 (5): 591-4.

AbstractThe incidence and disease severity of Clostridium difficile infection are rising. There is increasing evidence of a potential association between proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) and C. difficile infection. We performed a case-control study to examine the relationship between PPI and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-proven C. difficile infection in 137 hospitalised patients in a tertiary hospital in Western Australia. Only antibiotic exposure within 3 months prior to onset of diarrhoea was associated with PCR-proven C. difficile infection (odds ratio 5.97, 95% confidence interval 2.40-14.8, P= 0.001). A restricted analysis on those who had exposure to antibiotics within 3 months before the onset of diarrhoea did not change the negative association between PPI exposure and PCR-proven C. difficile infection. Long-term PPI usage and intensity of PPI exposure prior to onset of diarrhoea were not significantly associated with C. difficile infection.© 2012 The Authors. Internal Medicine Journal © 2012 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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