Pediatric patients treated with prescription acid-reducing medications face a higher risk of developing Clostridium difficile infection, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Here are five key notes:
1. The study examined whether use of proton pump inhibitors, as well as another common acid-reducing medication, might be contributing to the increased incidence of C. diff in children who have no known risk factors.
2. Researchers examined the health records of children, and found 650 outpatients who had been diagnosed with C. diff infection.
3. The study found that 2.6 percent of the children diagnosed with C. diff had used PPIs or the other acid-reducing medication within 90 days, compared with just 0.3 percent of the controls.
4. Thus, the use of acid-reducing drugs resulted in a seven-fold increase in risk for infection with C. diff.
5. The researchers note that acid reducing medications may increase the risk of C. diff infection by altering the gastrointestinal microbiome.
