• Mai Alalawi, Seba Aljahdali, Bashaer Alharbi, Lana Fagih, Raghad Fatani, and Ohoud Aljuhani.
• From the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Ann Saudi Med. 2020 Jul 1; 40 (4): 305-309.

BackgroundClostridium difficile infection is one of the most common causes of diarrhea in healthcare facilities. More studies are needed to identify patients at high risk of C difficile infection in our community.ObjectivesEstimate the prevalence of C difficile infection among adult patients and evaluate the risk factors associated with infection.DesignRetrospective record review.SettingTertiary academic medical center in Jeddah.Patients And MethodsEligible patients were adults (≥18 years old) with confirmed C difficile diagnosis between January 2013 and May 2018.Main Outcome MeasuresPrevalence rate and types of risk factors.Sample SizeOf 1886 records, 129 patients had positive lab results and met the inclusion criteria.ResultsThe prevalence of C difficile infection in our center over five years was 6.8%. The mean (SD) age was 56 (18) years, and infection was more prevalent in men (53.5%) than in women (46.5%). The most common risk factors were use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) and broad-spectrum antibiotics. The overlapping exposure of both PPIs and broad-spectrum antibiotics was 56.6%. There was no statistically significant difference between the type of PPI (P=.254) or antibiotic (P=.789) and the onset of C difficile infection.ConclusionThe overall C difficile infection prevalence in our population was low compared to Western countries. The majority of the patients who developed C difficile infection were using PPIs and/or antibiotics. No differences were observed in the type of antibiotic or PPI and the onset of C difficile infection development. Appropriate prescribing protocols for PPIs and antibiotics in acute settings are needed.LimitationsSingle center and retrospective design.Conflict Of InterestNone.

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