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Abstract
Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) consists of severe diarrhea, fever, lower abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, malaise and leukocytosis. Over the last few years, increasing incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infections have been documented in hospitalized settings. The bone marrow transplant (BMT) population is one assumed to be at increased risk for Clostridium difficile infection due to the high levels of immunosuppression, in addition to prolonged and frequent hospitalizations. We undertook this study to see if incidence of CDAD has increased in our high risk BMT population and identify potential risk factors that may be modified to prevent disease in the future. The objectives of the current study are to analyze clinical data collected from OHSU’s BMT population to 1) describe the burden and outcomes of CDAD in this BMT population; 2) to evaluate patient and epidemiologic factors associated with CDAD.