Clinical Characteristics of Symptomatic Clostridium difficile Infection in Children: Conditions as Infection Risks and Whether Probiotics Is Effective / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study investigated the clinical presentations of symptomatic Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in children. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 43 children aged 3 days, and the most frequently prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin-clavulanate (35.7%). Twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with CDI despite taking probiotic supplements, most commonly Lactobacillus acidophilus (53.6%). The most common symptom was diarrhea (72.1%) at the time CDI was diagnosed. C. difficile was eradicated in 11 patients (25.6%) after treatment with oral metronidazole for 10-14 days, and in the two patients (4.6%) who required two courses of oral metronidazole. Sixteen patients (37.2%) showed clinical improvement without any treatment. CONCLUSION: This study showed the various clinical characteristics of CDI in children and that preexisting clinical conditions favored the development of CDI. In addition, CDI was found to occur in a number of patients even after probiotic prophylaxis given in conjunction with antibiotic therapy.