Clostridium difficile infection in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Suchitra K. Hourigan, Cynthia L. Sears, Maria Oliva-Hemker

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are disproportionately susceptible to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and the incidence is increasing. There has also been growing recognition of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization in pediatric IBD, which can sometimes be very difficult to distinguish from symptomatic C. difficile-associated disease in this population. In this study, we discuss the current knowledge of C. difficile infection in children with IBD, reviewing epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes that often differ from the adult IBD population, and discuss the complexities and dilemmas of diagnosing and treating CDI in pediatric IBD.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1020-1025
Number of pages6
JournalInflammatory bowel diseases
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 9 2016

Keywords

  • Clostridium difficile infection
  • children
  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • pediatric

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Gastroenterology

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