Changing Epidemiology and Control of Clostridium difficile in Older Adults

Abstract

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) presents unique clinical challenges among older adults. Older pa-tients tend to have more severe disease, more treatment failures, and higher rates of relapse. As the burden of CDI in older adults continues to grow, better paradigms for the prevention and treatment of CDI in this vulnerable popula-tion will be essential. In this review, we offer an overview of the changing epidemiology of C. difficile, with a review of CDI prevention, diagnosis and treatment, with a focus on older patients.