Outcomes of Community and Healthcare-onset Clostridium difficile Infections.

BACKGROUND: Community-onset Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) are increasingly common, but there is little data on outcomes. The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiology and outcomes of CDI in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system and compare these variables between hospital-onset (HCF) and community-onset (CO) cases. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included all patients with a positive test for C. difficile (toxin or toxin genes) within the VHA Corporate Data Warehouse between 2011 and 2014. RESULTS: We identified 19270 episodes of CDI, involving 15972 unique patients; 95% were male, 44% of the cases were HCF, and 42% were CO. Regarding severity, 31% percent of cases were non-severe, 40% were severe, and 21% were fulminant. Exposure to proton pump inhibitors was found in 53% of cases (47% in CO, 62% in HCF). Overall, 40% of patients received antibiotics in the 90 days before CDI (44% in HCF, 36% in CO). Recurrence was 18.2%, and 30-day all-cause mortality was 9.2%. Risk factors for a fulminant case were exposure to clindamycin (odds ratio [OR]: 1.23, P = .01) or proton pump inhibitors (OR: 1.20, P < .001) in the 90 days prior to diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: CO accounts for a significant proportion of CDI in the VHA system. CO patients are younger and their cases are less severe, but recurrence is more common than in HCF CDI. Therefore CO CDI may account for a considerable reservoir of CDI cases, and prevention efforts should include interventions to reduce CO CDI.

Effects of smoking on non-AIDS-related morbidity in HIV-infected patients.

Tobacco smoking has many adverse health consequences. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection smoke at very high rates, and many of the comorbidities associated with smoking in the general population are more prevalent in this population. It is likely that a combination of higher smoking rates along with an altered response to cigarette smoke throughout the body in persons with HIV infection leads to increased rates of the known conditions related to smoking. Several AIDS-defining conditions associated with smoking have been reviewed elsewhere. This review aims to summarize the data on non-AIDS-related health consequences of smoking in the HIV-infected population and explore evidence for the potential compounding effects on chronic systemic inflammation due to HIV infection and smoking.

Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in an Urban HIV Clinic: A Pilot Study.

Increased smoking and a detrimental response to tobacco smoke in the lungs of HIV/AIDS patients result in an increased risk for COPD. We aimed to determine the predictive value of a COPD screening strategy validated in the general population and to identify HIV-related factors associated with decreased lung function. Subjects at least 35 years of age at an HIV clinic in New York City completed a COPD screening questionnaire and peak flow measurement. Those with abnormal results and a random one-third of normal screens had spirometry. 235 individuals were included and 89 completed spirometry. Eleven (12%) had undiagnosed airway obstruction and 5 had COPD. A combination of a positive questionnaire and abnormal peak flow yielded a sensitivity of 20% (specificity 93%) for detection of COPD. Peak flow alone had a sensitivity of 80% (specificity 80%). Abnormal peak flow was associated with an AIDS diagnosis (p=0.04), lower nadir (p=0.001), and current CD4 counts (p=0.001). Nadir CD4 remained associated in multivariate analysis (p=0.05). Decreased FEV1 (<80% predicted) was associated with lower CD4 count nadir (p=0.04) and detectable current HIV viral load (p=0.01) in multivariate analysis. Questionnaire and peak flow together had low sensitivity, but abnormal peak flow shows potential as a screening tool for COPD in HIV/AIDS. These data suggest that lung function may be influenced by HIV-related factors.

Factors associated with smoking in HIV-infected patients and potential barriers to cessation.

Smoking is common in patients with HIV and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. With the goal of targeting future cessation interventions, we sought to identify factors associated with smoking status, readiness and confidence in cessation, and success in quitting. As part of a larger study in New York City assessing predictors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we enrolled HIV-infected subjects at least 35 years of age without known asthma or COPD. Current smokers received detailed tobacco history, and smoking status was assessed by chart review at 3 and 6 months post-enrollment. Two hundred subjects were enrolled (29% current smokers, 31.5% never smokers, 39.5% former smokers, mean age of 49, 84% male, 64% had AIDS, and 97% were receiving antiretroviral therapy). Current smokers had higher unemployment and increased rates of other substance use than former smokers or never smokers. In multivariate analysis, being unemployed and having used inhalant drugs were associated with current smoking. Substance abuse history was not correlated with readiness to quit or patient estimated cessation. Lower education was associated with decreased readiness to quit. Follow-up smoking status for baseline current smokers was available for 47/58 enrollees at 6 months; 4 (9%) stopped smoking completely, and 17 (36%) decreased the number of packs-per-day. Smoking and concomitant substance abuse is common in HIV, and special attention should be given to this issue, in addition to a patient's readiness to quit, when implementing tobacco cessation protocols, especially in busy urban HIV care centers.