Colectomy Rates Are Increasing Among Inpatients With Concomitant Ulcerative Colitis and Clostridioides difficile

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exacerbation and is associated with increased risk of hospitalization, colectomy, and mortality. Previous analysis have reported an increasing rate of CDI and associated mortality in IBD patients. We examined the trends in CDI-associated outcomes in hospitalized patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) over the last decade.

Materials and methods: We used data from the National Inpatient Sample to identify patients hospitalized with both CDI and IBD from 2006 to 2014. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, partial/total colectomy, hospital length of stay, and charges. Analysis included univariate and multivariate regression analysis.

Results: Between 2006 and 2014, CDI-related hospitalizations increased in both CD (1.6% to 3.2%; P<0.001) and UC (4.9% to 8.6%; P<0.001). CDI-associated mortality in CD and UC patients decreased from 2.4% to 1.2% (P<0.001) and 11.3% to 9.7% (P<0.001), respectively. CDI-associated colectomy rate increased from 4.3% to 8.8% (P<0.001) in UC but decreased from 4.5% to 2.8% (P<0.001) in CD. In multivariable analysis, compared with 2006, there was a nonsignificant decrease in mortality in 2014 in both CD [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25-1.24] and UC (AOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.61-1.07), but a significant increase in colectomy in 2014 only in UC (AOR 2.12, 95% CI 1.46-3.06).

Conclusions: CDI rates have increased in CD and UC over the last decade. Although there has been a significant increase in colectomies in UC, CDI-associated mortality in CD and UC has not increased over this time.